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God Bless You Today, Lena B
2 Corinthians 2
1So I said to myself, "No, I won't do it. I won't make them unhappy with another painful visit." 2For if I cause you pain and make you sad, who is going to make me glad? 3That is why I wrote as I did in my last letter, so that when I do come, I will not be made sad by the very ones who ought to give me the greatest joy. Surely you know that my happiness depends on your happiness. 4How painful it was to write that letter! Heartbroken, I cried over it. I didn't want to hurt you, but I wanted you to know how very much I love you.
Forgiveness for the Sinner
5I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt your entire church more than he hurt me. 6He was punished enough when most of you were united in your judgment against him. 7Now it is time to forgive him and comfort him. Otherwise he may become so discouraged that he won't be able to recover. 8Now show him that you still love him.
9I wrote to you as I did to find out how far you would go in obeying me. 10When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive him (for whatever is to be forgiven), I do so with Christ's authority for your benefit, 11so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are very familiar with his evil schemes.
Ministers of the New Covenant
12Well, when I came to the city of Troas to preach the Good News of Christ, the Lord gave me tremendous opportunities. 13But I couldn't rest because my dear brother Titus hadn't yet arrived with a report from you. So I said good-bye and went on to Macedonia to find him.
14But thanks be to God, who made us his captives and leads us along in Christ's triumphal procession. Now wherever we go he uses us to tell others about the Lord and to spread the Good News like a sweet perfume. 15Our lives are a fragrance presented by Christ to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those being saved and by those perishing. 16To those who are perishing we are a fearful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this? 17You see, we are not like those hucksters—and there are many of them—who preach just to make money. We preach God's message with sincerity and with Christ's authority. And we know that the God who sent us is watching us.
Lena’s Journalin Today
What of our lives exudes the fragrance of Christ?
That we read His word, even daily?
That we recite scripture passages?
That we attend church and Bible Study services faithfully?
Is it any of these acts which could so easily become religious to us?
No, it is life formation, visible life formation, changes that others can see and eat of in our lives that exudes that heavenly fragrance of Christ on the earth.
All of the above noted religious activity is great inside of life formation.
If going to church faithfully leads us to the life formation, it is encouraged and necessary, but if it is there with no visible change, it smells really bad to God and to others.
One without the other is very wrong and leads to a trail of perverseness.
This church had the challenge of forgiveness, that would be their life formation.
I wonder what ours is today.
I wonder if we’ve been so religious in activity that we cannot even see it, or we’ve deceived ourselves to think we’re just fine as we are, and are finished being transformed? Ya know, “Been there done that, Got the T-Shirt?”
One of the greatest witnesses to both the Saved and the Unsaved is change, a life that changes, not just one time boom, change, but all the time change.
God Bless you this life transforming day.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Ephesians 5 Today
Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.
If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.
Ephesians
Living in the Light
1Follow God's example in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins. And God was pleased, because that sacrifice was like sweet perfume to him.
3Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God's people. 4Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is really an idolater who worships the things of this world. 6Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the terrible anger of God comes upon all those who disobey him. 7Don't participate in the things these people do. 8For though your hearts were once full of darkness, now you are full of light from the Lord, and your behavior should show it! 9For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
10Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, rebuke and expose them. 12It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13But when the light shines on them, it becomes clear how evil these things are. 14And where your light shines, it will expose their evil deeds. This is why it is said,
"Awake, O sleeper,
rise up from the dead,
and Christ will give you light."
Living by the Spirit's Power
15So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. 16Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. 17Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you. 19Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20And you will always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Spirit-Guided Relationships: Wives and Husbands
21And further, you will submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22You wives will submit to your husbands as you do to the Lord. 23For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of his body, the church; he gave his life to be her Savior. 24As the church submits to Christ, so you wives must submit to your husbands in everything.
25And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for her 26to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God's word. F10 27He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man is actually loving himself when he loves his wife. 29No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it, just as Christ cares for his body, which is the church. 30And we are his body.
31As the Scriptures say, "A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one." F11 32This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. 33So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
________________________________________
FOOTNOTES:
F10: Greek having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.
F11: Gen 2:24.
If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.
Ephesians
Living in the Light
1Follow God's example in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins. And God was pleased, because that sacrifice was like sweet perfume to him.
3Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God's people. 4Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is really an idolater who worships the things of this world. 6Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the terrible anger of God comes upon all those who disobey him. 7Don't participate in the things these people do. 8For though your hearts were once full of darkness, now you are full of light from the Lord, and your behavior should show it! 9For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
10Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, rebuke and expose them. 12It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13But when the light shines on them, it becomes clear how evil these things are. 14And where your light shines, it will expose their evil deeds. This is why it is said,
"Awake, O sleeper,
rise up from the dead,
and Christ will give you light."
Living by the Spirit's Power
15So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. 16Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. 17Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you. 19Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20And you will always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Spirit-Guided Relationships: Wives and Husbands
21And further, you will submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22You wives will submit to your husbands as you do to the Lord. 23For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of his body, the church; he gave his life to be her Savior. 24As the church submits to Christ, so you wives must submit to your husbands in everything.
25And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for her 26to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God's word. F10 27He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man is actually loving himself when he loves his wife. 29No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it, just as Christ cares for his body, which is the church. 30And we are his body.
31As the Scriptures say, "A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one." F11 32This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. 33So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
________________________________________
FOOTNOTES:
F10: Greek having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.
F11: Gen 2:24.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Psalm 26
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Psalm 26
A psalm of David.
1 Declare me innocent, O LORD, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
2 Put me on trial, LORD, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and affections.
3 For I am constantly aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth.
4 I do not spend time with liars or go along with hypocrites.
5 I hate the gatherings of those who do evil, and I refuse to join in with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands to declare my innocence. I come to your altar, O LORD,
7 singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your miracles.
8 I love your sanctuary, LORD, the place where your glory shines.
9 Don't let me suffer the fate of sinners. Don't condemn me along with murderers.
10 Their hands are dirty with wicked schemes, and they constantly take bribes.
11 But I am not like that; I do what is right. So in your mercy, save me.
12 I have taken a stand, and I will publicly praise the LORD.
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Psalm 26
A psalm of David.
1 Declare me innocent, O LORD, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
2 Put me on trial, LORD, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and affections.
3 For I am constantly aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth.
4 I do not spend time with liars or go along with hypocrites.
5 I hate the gatherings of those who do evil, and I refuse to join in with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands to declare my innocence. I come to your altar, O LORD,
7 singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your miracles.
8 I love your sanctuary, LORD, the place where your glory shines.
9 Don't let me suffer the fate of sinners. Don't condemn me along with murderers.
10 Their hands are dirty with wicked schemes, and they constantly take bribes.
11 But I am not like that; I do what is right. So in your mercy, save me.
12 I have taken a stand, and I will publicly praise the LORD.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Matthew 15 Today
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Matthew 15
Jesus Teaches about Inner Purity
1Some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to interview Jesus. 2"Why do your disciples disobey our age-old traditions?" they demanded. "They ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat."
3Jesus replied, "And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God? 4For instance, God says, 'Honor your father and mother,' and 'Anyone who speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death.' F78 5But you say, 'You don't need to honor your parents by caring for their needs if you give the money to God instead.' 6And so, by your own tradition, you nullify the direct commandment of God. 7You hypocrites! Isaiah was prophesying about you when he said,
8 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away.
9 Their worship is a farce, for they replace God's commands with their own man-made teachings.' F79 "
10Then Jesus called to the crowds and said, "Listen to what I say and try to understand. 11You are not defiled by what you eat; you are defiled by what you say and do. F80 "
12Then the disciples came to him and asked, "Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?"
13Jesus replied, "Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be rooted up, 14so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch."
15Then Peter asked Jesus, "Explain what you meant when you said people aren't defiled by what they eat."
16"Don't you understand?" Jesus asked him. 17"Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes out of the body. 18But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them. 19For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all other sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. 20These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands could never defile you and make you unacceptable to God!"
The Faith of a Gentile Woman
21Jesus then left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22A Gentile F81 woman who lived there came to him, pleading, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter has a demon in her, and it is severely tormenting her."
23But Jesus gave her no reply—not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. "Tell her to leave," they said. "She is bothering us with all her begging."
24Then he said to the woman, "I was sent only to help the people of Israel—God's lost sheep—not the Gentiles."
25But she came and worshiped him and pleaded again, "Lord, help me!"
26"It isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs," he said.
27"Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even dogs are permitted to eat crumbs that fall beneath their master's table."
28"Woman," Jesus said to her, "your faith is great. Your request is granted." And her daughter was instantly healed.
Jesus Heals Many People
29Jesus returned to the Sea of Galilee and climbed a hill and sat down. 30A vast crowd brought him the lame, blind, crippled, mute, and many others with physical difficulties, and they laid them before Jesus. And he healed them all. 31The crowd was amazed! Those who hadn't been able to speak were talking, the crippled were made well, the lame were walking around, and those who had been blind could see again! And they praised the God of Israel.
Jesus Feeds Four Thousand
32Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don't want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the road."
33The disciples replied, "And where would we get enough food out here in the wilderness for all of them to eat?"
34Jesus asked, "How many loaves of bread do you have?" They replied, "Seven, and a few small fish." 35So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. 36Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God for them, broke them into pieces, and gave them to the disciples, who distributed the food to the crowd.
37They all ate until they were full, and when the scraps were picked up, there were seven large baskets of food left over! 38There were four thousand men who were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children. 39Then Jesus sent the people home, and he got into a boat and crossed over to the region of Magadan.
________________________________________
FOOTNOTES:
F78: Exod 20:12; 21:17; Lev 20:9; Deut 5:16.
F79: Isa 29:13.
F80: Or what comes out of the mouth defiles a person.
F81: Greek Canaanite.
Lena Journals Today
Religion is so perverted in nature.
It is man’s idea of how he can partially live out acceptably what God has said, it’s an attempt by man to be good, though not go all the way.
Love obeys God.
It does not make up its own set of rules to live by them in the name of God.
Remember how Jesus said, God is the only one who is good? Why’d He say that?
That is the only “goodness” to compare one’s self to.
If we don’t measure up to it yet, we can change and through faith’s intent desire be changed by the power of His Spirit’ power available to us. Or else we can also seek Him more towards that change till it happens.
Man’s own set of goodness rules are so stinky to God’s nose.
The Bible says it is like a dirty menstrual rag!
Religion is that putrid to God.
One practical example - speaking evil of our parents, while we smile, say amen, and care what how we are specifically eating and become picky about specifically what we eat. WOW!
In comparison to loving people being #1, who cares what we eat, and how it is washed? God made food to be eaten, and yes, washed before doing so, and mainly to be received and prayed over, and received with thanksgiving. His important order and design is for people to be loved and nurtured.
Ex # 2 - To give money to church (I’m speaking of offerings, and am not referring to the tithe, which is that which already belongs to God) and then to not care for our parents financially, is poo poo.
What are we Doing with God’s word?
Loving God by loving people?
Or hating people, being impatient w/ people, acting as if people get in our way, so we can do the work of God?
The religious, Israel, even the organized church of today, would not love in a godly manner, so He offered their promises, their blessing for living an obedient love filled life, to others!
I don’t know how far off from that we as individuals place ourselves?
Time to wake up!
How much faith do we have?
I mean, if Jesus spit in our faces and said get away from Me for I cannot stand how you misunderstand things and are acting religiously, what would we do, how would we feel, what would we believe?
The Gentile woman pressed in when he called her a dog!
We could say she was the church within the organized church.
We could say she was not religious, but relational.
After Jesus saw her faith he was moved with a bit of compassion, healing a multitude of diseased – Israelites.
I wonder why everyone was in such bad shape???
I wonder if these healed of the Lord were the same crowd who stayed to hear Him and that became hungry. I wonder if their families were the religious ones who would rather be seen giving at church than to feed or care for them.
I wonder if they were a part of church who felt unloved and uncared for by religious people?
Jesus told the disciples (also Israelites), (YOU) feed THEM!
We are now to Go and do likewise Today!
Amen
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Matthew 15
Jesus Teaches about Inner Purity
1Some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to interview Jesus. 2"Why do your disciples disobey our age-old traditions?" they demanded. "They ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat."
3Jesus replied, "And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God? 4For instance, God says, 'Honor your father and mother,' and 'Anyone who speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death.' F78 5But you say, 'You don't need to honor your parents by caring for their needs if you give the money to God instead.' 6And so, by your own tradition, you nullify the direct commandment of God. 7You hypocrites! Isaiah was prophesying about you when he said,
8 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away.
9 Their worship is a farce, for they replace God's commands with their own man-made teachings.' F79 "
10Then Jesus called to the crowds and said, "Listen to what I say and try to understand. 11You are not defiled by what you eat; you are defiled by what you say and do. F80 "
12Then the disciples came to him and asked, "Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?"
13Jesus replied, "Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be rooted up, 14so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch."
15Then Peter asked Jesus, "Explain what you meant when you said people aren't defiled by what they eat."
16"Don't you understand?" Jesus asked him. 17"Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes out of the body. 18But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them. 19For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all other sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. 20These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands could never defile you and make you unacceptable to God!"
The Faith of a Gentile Woman
21Jesus then left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22A Gentile F81 woman who lived there came to him, pleading, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter has a demon in her, and it is severely tormenting her."
23But Jesus gave her no reply—not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. "Tell her to leave," they said. "She is bothering us with all her begging."
24Then he said to the woman, "I was sent only to help the people of Israel—God's lost sheep—not the Gentiles."
25But she came and worshiped him and pleaded again, "Lord, help me!"
26"It isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs," he said.
27"Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even dogs are permitted to eat crumbs that fall beneath their master's table."
28"Woman," Jesus said to her, "your faith is great. Your request is granted." And her daughter was instantly healed.
Jesus Heals Many People
29Jesus returned to the Sea of Galilee and climbed a hill and sat down. 30A vast crowd brought him the lame, blind, crippled, mute, and many others with physical difficulties, and they laid them before Jesus. And he healed them all. 31The crowd was amazed! Those who hadn't been able to speak were talking, the crippled were made well, the lame were walking around, and those who had been blind could see again! And they praised the God of Israel.
Jesus Feeds Four Thousand
32Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don't want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the road."
33The disciples replied, "And where would we get enough food out here in the wilderness for all of them to eat?"
34Jesus asked, "How many loaves of bread do you have?" They replied, "Seven, and a few small fish." 35So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. 36Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God for them, broke them into pieces, and gave them to the disciples, who distributed the food to the crowd.
37They all ate until they were full, and when the scraps were picked up, there were seven large baskets of food left over! 38There were four thousand men who were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children. 39Then Jesus sent the people home, and he got into a boat and crossed over to the region of Magadan.
________________________________________
FOOTNOTES:
F78: Exod 20:12; 21:17; Lev 20:9; Deut 5:16.
F79: Isa 29:13.
F80: Or what comes out of the mouth defiles a person.
F81: Greek Canaanite.
Lena Journals Today
Religion is so perverted in nature.
It is man’s idea of how he can partially live out acceptably what God has said, it’s an attempt by man to be good, though not go all the way.
Love obeys God.
It does not make up its own set of rules to live by them in the name of God.
Remember how Jesus said, God is the only one who is good? Why’d He say that?
That is the only “goodness” to compare one’s self to.
If we don’t measure up to it yet, we can change and through faith’s intent desire be changed by the power of His Spirit’ power available to us. Or else we can also seek Him more towards that change till it happens.
Man’s own set of goodness rules are so stinky to God’s nose.
The Bible says it is like a dirty menstrual rag!
Religion is that putrid to God.
One practical example - speaking evil of our parents, while we smile, say amen, and care what how we are specifically eating and become picky about specifically what we eat. WOW!
In comparison to loving people being #1, who cares what we eat, and how it is washed? God made food to be eaten, and yes, washed before doing so, and mainly to be received and prayed over, and received with thanksgiving. His important order and design is for people to be loved and nurtured.
Ex # 2 - To give money to church (I’m speaking of offerings, and am not referring to the tithe, which is that which already belongs to God) and then to not care for our parents financially, is poo poo.
What are we Doing with God’s word?
Loving God by loving people?
Or hating people, being impatient w/ people, acting as if people get in our way, so we can do the work of God?
The religious, Israel, even the organized church of today, would not love in a godly manner, so He offered their promises, their blessing for living an obedient love filled life, to others!
I don’t know how far off from that we as individuals place ourselves?
Time to wake up!
How much faith do we have?
I mean, if Jesus spit in our faces and said get away from Me for I cannot stand how you misunderstand things and are acting religiously, what would we do, how would we feel, what would we believe?
The Gentile woman pressed in when he called her a dog!
We could say she was the church within the organized church.
We could say she was not religious, but relational.
After Jesus saw her faith he was moved with a bit of compassion, healing a multitude of diseased – Israelites.
I wonder why everyone was in such bad shape???
I wonder if these healed of the Lord were the same crowd who stayed to hear Him and that became hungry. I wonder if their families were the religious ones who would rather be seen giving at church than to feed or care for them.
I wonder if they were a part of church who felt unloved and uncared for by religious people?
Jesus told the disciples (also Israelites), (YOU) feed THEM!
We are now to Go and do likewise Today!
Amen
Friday, November 16, 2007
John 6 Today
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
John 6
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
1After this, Jesus crossed over the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias. 2And a huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miracles as he healed the sick. 3Then Jesus went up into the hills and sat down with his disciples around him. 4(It was nearly time for the annual Passover celebration.) 5Jesus soon saw a great crowd of people climbing the hill, looking for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, "Philip, where can we buy bread to feed all these people?" 6He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.
7Philip replied, "It would take a small fortune F26 to feed them!"
8Then Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up. 9"There's a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?"
10"Tell everyone to sit down," Jesus ordered. So all of them—the men alone numbered five thousand—sat down on the grassy slopes. 11Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and passed them out to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate until they were full. 12"Now gather the leftovers," Jesus told his disciples, "so that nothing is wasted." 13There were only five barley loaves to start with, but twelve baskets were filled with the pieces of bread the people did not eat!
14When the people saw this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, "Surely, he is the Prophet F27 we have been expecting!" 15Jesus saw that they were ready to take him by force and make him king, so he went higher into the hills alone.
Jesus Walks on Water
16That evening his disciples went down to the shore to wait for him. 17But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn't come back, they got into the boat and headed out across the lake toward Capernaum. 18Soon a gale swept down upon them as they rowed, and the sea grew very rough. 19They were three or four miles F28 out when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified, 20but he called out to them, "I am here! Don't be afraid." 21Then they were eager to let him in, and immediately the boat arrived at their destination!
Jesus, the Bread of Life
22The next morning, back across the lake, crowds began gathering on the shore, waiting to see Jesus. For they knew that he and his disciples had come over together and that the disciples had gone off in their boat, leaving him behind. 23Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten. 24When the crowd saw that Jesus wasn't there, nor his disciples, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. 25When they arrived and found him, they asked, "Teacher, how did you get here?"
26Jesus replied, "The truth is, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you saw the miraculous sign. 27But you shouldn't be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that I, the Son of Man, can give you. For God the Father has sent me for that very purpose."
28They replied, "What does God want us to do?"
29Jesus told them, "This is what God wants you to do: Believe in the one he has sent."
30They replied, "You must show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What will you do for us? 31After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! As the Scriptures say, 'Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.' F29 "
32Jesus said, "I assure you, Moses didn't give them bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. 33The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
34"Sir," they said, "give us that bread every day of our lives."
35Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry again. Those who believe in me will never thirst. 36But you haven't believed in me even though you have seen me. 37However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. 38For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do what I want. 39And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them to eternal life at the last day. 40For it is my Father's will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life—that I should raise them at the last day."
41Then the people F30 began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, "I am the bread from heaven." 42They said, "This is Jesus, the son of Joseph. We know his father and mother. How can he say, 'I came down from heaven'?"
43But Jesus replied, "Don't complain about what I said. 44For people can't come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them from the dead. 45As it is written in the Scriptures, 'They will all be taught by God.' F31 Everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to me. 46(Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)
47"I assure you, anyone who believes in me already has eternal life. 48Yes, I am the bread of life! 49Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. 50However, the bread from heaven gives eternal life to everyone who eats it. 51I am the living bread that came down out of heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; this bread is my flesh, offered so the world may live."
52Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" they asked.
53So Jesus said again, "I assure you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. 54But those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them at the last day. 55For my flesh is the true food, and my blood is the true drink. 56All who eat my flesh and drink my blood remain in me, and I in them. 57I live by the power of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, those who partake of me will live because of me. 58I am the true bread from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever and not die as your ancestors did, even though they ate the manna."
59He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many Disciples Desert Jesus
60Even his disciples said, "This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?"
61Jesus knew within himself that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, "Does this offend you? 62Then what will you think if you see me, the Son of Man, return to heaven again? 63It is the Spirit who gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64But some of you don't believe me." (For Jesus knew from the beginning who didn't believe, and he knew who would betray him.) 65Then he said, "That is what I meant when I said that people can't come to me unless the Father brings them to me."
66At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. 67Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, "Are you going to leave, too?"
68Simon Peter replied, "Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life. 69We believe them, and we know you are the Holy One of God."
70Then Jesus said, "I chose the twelve of you, but one is a devil." 71He was speaking of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one of the Twelve, who would betray him.
________________________________________
FOOTNOTES:
F26: Greek 200 denarii. A denarius was the equivalent of a full day's wage.
F27: See Deut 18:15, 18.
F28: Greek 25 or 30 stadia [4.6 or 5.5 kilometers].
F29: Exod 16:4; Ps 78:24.
F30: Greek Jewish people; also in 6:52.
F31: Isa 54:13.
Lena Journals Today-
Does God ever ask you questions?
Why would He do that?
Believe me, it is not because He needs to know anything from us, as though we could know more than He does, right?
The reason is always for Him to get out of us what we are thinking, so we can hear where we are at in our faith walk.
Remember He asked Adam, “Where are you?” Why would He ask Adam that, for God knows everything, right? Right!
He wanted Adam to come out expose his self in sin so he could be forgiven and walk w/ God again, even though there was consequence, there’d be restoration in acknowledgement.
Phillip could acknowledge he was not al that full of faith where provisions are concerned, he was initially moved more by mathematical calculations than by seeing what he couldn’t see. Seeing himself as he was could help him also see a new way to pursue faith.
God can do in moments what fortunes can never do!
If a fortune fed this multitude then man would want to take the glory, just like if we work and earn and buy what we want would give us credit (glory).
But see, God wants the credits! Let’s increase our faith in the areas of provision and glorify God with our lives and needs.
Jesus is walking on water for us and with us in our boats and storms!
Is it our natural human needs for physical things that leads us, and keeps us flowing Christ?
Good question to ask of self, huh?
Does the bread He gives us lead us to give life to others?
Do we even eat Him as daily bread?
Do we appreciate His words enough to eat it daily?
How do we spend our energy?
This is so serious. So serious. I just don’t have words for how serious it is!
The disciples after hearing him tell them how to spend their energies, said- “What does God want us to do?”
Are we asking that, or letting God ask us questions instead?
No really, really. Oh man I cannot express how serious this is……
If we believe we act. If we do not believe we do not act.
If we’re not acting, then we’re not believing.
If that is hard to look at, we need to take a good hard look.
What is the kingdom of God for?
Is it just for us to die and be good with God?
What about living now, good with God for what we are Doing, or not Doing?
His body as bread is now offered to us that we may now live, eternally.
WHAT is the BREAD?
To DO the will of God, how God wants it done.
Our Doings cannot make the kingdom come or the will be done, but the doings in and through faith as one with Him now, can bring the will of the kingdom.
In other words, we cannot earn what has already been paid for, but we can respond and participate, because we believe it was done for us and with us in mind.
AND we SHOULD be responding to that, or else with no response there is NO living faith!
Faith numb, with no response is religious activity alone.
If we eat of Him we cannot remain as we are. There’s NO way. It’s impossible.
God Bless You Today, Lena B
John 6
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
1After this, Jesus crossed over the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias. 2And a huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miracles as he healed the sick. 3Then Jesus went up into the hills and sat down with his disciples around him. 4(It was nearly time for the annual Passover celebration.) 5Jesus soon saw a great crowd of people climbing the hill, looking for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, "Philip, where can we buy bread to feed all these people?" 6He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.
7Philip replied, "It would take a small fortune F26 to feed them!"
8Then Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up. 9"There's a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?"
10"Tell everyone to sit down," Jesus ordered. So all of them—the men alone numbered five thousand—sat down on the grassy slopes. 11Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and passed them out to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate until they were full. 12"Now gather the leftovers," Jesus told his disciples, "so that nothing is wasted." 13There were only five barley loaves to start with, but twelve baskets were filled with the pieces of bread the people did not eat!
14When the people saw this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, "Surely, he is the Prophet F27 we have been expecting!" 15Jesus saw that they were ready to take him by force and make him king, so he went higher into the hills alone.
Jesus Walks on Water
16That evening his disciples went down to the shore to wait for him. 17But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn't come back, they got into the boat and headed out across the lake toward Capernaum. 18Soon a gale swept down upon them as they rowed, and the sea grew very rough. 19They were three or four miles F28 out when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified, 20but he called out to them, "I am here! Don't be afraid." 21Then they were eager to let him in, and immediately the boat arrived at their destination!
Jesus, the Bread of Life
22The next morning, back across the lake, crowds began gathering on the shore, waiting to see Jesus. For they knew that he and his disciples had come over together and that the disciples had gone off in their boat, leaving him behind. 23Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten. 24When the crowd saw that Jesus wasn't there, nor his disciples, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. 25When they arrived and found him, they asked, "Teacher, how did you get here?"
26Jesus replied, "The truth is, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you saw the miraculous sign. 27But you shouldn't be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that I, the Son of Man, can give you. For God the Father has sent me for that very purpose."
28They replied, "What does God want us to do?"
29Jesus told them, "This is what God wants you to do: Believe in the one he has sent."
30They replied, "You must show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What will you do for us? 31After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! As the Scriptures say, 'Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.' F29 "
32Jesus said, "I assure you, Moses didn't give them bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. 33The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
34"Sir," they said, "give us that bread every day of our lives."
35Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry again. Those who believe in me will never thirst. 36But you haven't believed in me even though you have seen me. 37However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. 38For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do what I want. 39And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them to eternal life at the last day. 40For it is my Father's will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life—that I should raise them at the last day."
41Then the people F30 began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, "I am the bread from heaven." 42They said, "This is Jesus, the son of Joseph. We know his father and mother. How can he say, 'I came down from heaven'?"
43But Jesus replied, "Don't complain about what I said. 44For people can't come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them from the dead. 45As it is written in the Scriptures, 'They will all be taught by God.' F31 Everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to me. 46(Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)
47"I assure you, anyone who believes in me already has eternal life. 48Yes, I am the bread of life! 49Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. 50However, the bread from heaven gives eternal life to everyone who eats it. 51I am the living bread that came down out of heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; this bread is my flesh, offered so the world may live."
52Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" they asked.
53So Jesus said again, "I assure you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. 54But those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them at the last day. 55For my flesh is the true food, and my blood is the true drink. 56All who eat my flesh and drink my blood remain in me, and I in them. 57I live by the power of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, those who partake of me will live because of me. 58I am the true bread from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever and not die as your ancestors did, even though they ate the manna."
59He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many Disciples Desert Jesus
60Even his disciples said, "This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?"
61Jesus knew within himself that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, "Does this offend you? 62Then what will you think if you see me, the Son of Man, return to heaven again? 63It is the Spirit who gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64But some of you don't believe me." (For Jesus knew from the beginning who didn't believe, and he knew who would betray him.) 65Then he said, "That is what I meant when I said that people can't come to me unless the Father brings them to me."
66At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. 67Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, "Are you going to leave, too?"
68Simon Peter replied, "Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life. 69We believe them, and we know you are the Holy One of God."
70Then Jesus said, "I chose the twelve of you, but one is a devil." 71He was speaking of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one of the Twelve, who would betray him.
________________________________________
FOOTNOTES:
F26: Greek 200 denarii. A denarius was the equivalent of a full day's wage.
F27: See Deut 18:15, 18.
F28: Greek 25 or 30 stadia [4.6 or 5.5 kilometers].
F29: Exod 16:4; Ps 78:24.
F30: Greek Jewish people; also in 6:52.
F31: Isa 54:13.
Lena Journals Today-
Does God ever ask you questions?
Why would He do that?
Believe me, it is not because He needs to know anything from us, as though we could know more than He does, right?
The reason is always for Him to get out of us what we are thinking, so we can hear where we are at in our faith walk.
Remember He asked Adam, “Where are you?” Why would He ask Adam that, for God knows everything, right? Right!
He wanted Adam to come out expose his self in sin so he could be forgiven and walk w/ God again, even though there was consequence, there’d be restoration in acknowledgement.
Phillip could acknowledge he was not al that full of faith where provisions are concerned, he was initially moved more by mathematical calculations than by seeing what he couldn’t see. Seeing himself as he was could help him also see a new way to pursue faith.
God can do in moments what fortunes can never do!
If a fortune fed this multitude then man would want to take the glory, just like if we work and earn and buy what we want would give us credit (glory).
But see, God wants the credits! Let’s increase our faith in the areas of provision and glorify God with our lives and needs.
Jesus is walking on water for us and with us in our boats and storms!
Is it our natural human needs for physical things that leads us, and keeps us flowing Christ?
Good question to ask of self, huh?
Does the bread He gives us lead us to give life to others?
Do we even eat Him as daily bread?
Do we appreciate His words enough to eat it daily?
How do we spend our energy?
This is so serious. So serious. I just don’t have words for how serious it is!
The disciples after hearing him tell them how to spend their energies, said- “What does God want us to do?”
Are we asking that, or letting God ask us questions instead?
No really, really. Oh man I cannot express how serious this is……
If we believe we act. If we do not believe we do not act.
If we’re not acting, then we’re not believing.
If that is hard to look at, we need to take a good hard look.
What is the kingdom of God for?
Is it just for us to die and be good with God?
What about living now, good with God for what we are Doing, or not Doing?
His body as bread is now offered to us that we may now live, eternally.
WHAT is the BREAD?
To DO the will of God, how God wants it done.
Our Doings cannot make the kingdom come or the will be done, but the doings in and through faith as one with Him now, can bring the will of the kingdom.
In other words, we cannot earn what has already been paid for, but we can respond and participate, because we believe it was done for us and with us in mind.
AND we SHOULD be responding to that, or else with no response there is NO living faith!
Faith numb, with no response is religious activity alone.
If we eat of Him we cannot remain as we are. There’s NO way. It’s impossible.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Psalm 92 Today
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Psalm 92
A psalm to be sung on the LORD's Day. A song.
1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to the Most High.
2 It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening,
3 accompanied by the harp and lute and the harmony of the lyre.
4 You thrill me, LORD, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done.
5 O LORD, what great miracles you do! And how deep are your thoughts.
6 Only an ignorant person would not know this! Only a fool would not understand it.
7 Although the wicked flourish like weeds, and evildoers blossom with success, there is only eternal destruction ahead of them.
8 But you are exalted in the heavens. You, O LORD, continue forever.
9 Your enemies, LORD, will surely perish; all evildoers will be scattered.
10 But you have made me as strong as a wild bull. How refreshed I am by your power!
11 With my own eyes I have seen the downfall of my enemies; with my own ears I have heard the defeat of my wicked opponents.
12 But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.
13 For they are transplanted into the LORD's own house. They flourish in the courts of our God.
14 Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.
15 They will declare, "The LORD is just! He is my rock! There is nothing but goodness in him!"
Lena Journals
This is ALL about the temporary verses the eternal. The natural verses the supernatural. Seeing and living in the spirit, compared to seeing only and living now in the flesh.
Do you know, and have you ever considered that you are not a human who is, as a Christian might be, having some spiritual experiences?
You do know that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, right? That after death in the earth suit, our spirit man which was already alive while we lived on earth in our earth suit bodies, goes on to “be with the Lord”?
You’ve heard of people in near death experiences say, I saw my body lying there…., right?
Let me offer you this God breathed perspective. We ARE spirit beings, having a very short in terms of eternity, earth and human experience!
That spirit that leaves the body in physical death IS alive now, meaning eternal or spiritual now. It may be eternally dead to life with God outside of Christ’s Lordship, but it can become made alive eternally or spiritually by being found in the Lordship of Christ!
So, David writes….BUT no mater what seems to be happening here, in my humanness, You are still Lord, and if I acknowledge You as such, I can exalt You anyway, no matter what it appears like, because I see beyond the blink life I now live as a mortal with a human body!
The way I live now, effects my eternity then, and what I do now and who I trust, has everything to do with my eternal set up, other than that this earth life is far too short and way too fleeting. All of that is concerning the me.
Where leading others to eternal life is concerned, the days are WAYYYY too short to help others know all of this and live as though every moment counts here for there.
I know, that now seems hard, but the hardness will ultimately pass away as my physical body will also, when that time comes. My enemies, the ones who tried to take my faith, will vanish in their power against my faith.
They weren’t so much out for my body, but through my body and my perspective, they were definitely out for my spirit using the avenues of my soul.
If I can see all of that as temporarily happening for the taking and capturing of my soul and my faith, it really becomes mere hogwash to me.
Flourish like a palm tree? What about the reports that were just given to me, bad ones?
Who are you, I ask? And to whom do you belong?
What is your life here for?
In that you may succumb or overcome?
The choice to see spiritually is ours
To believe eternally is ours, to live as spirits that are alive, is ours.
Everyone needs purpose to live.
Purpose is:
To know Him and make Him known.
That’s about it.
That’s enough. More than enough to live breathe and overcome.
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Psalm 92
A psalm to be sung on the LORD's Day. A song.
1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to the Most High.
2 It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening,
3 accompanied by the harp and lute and the harmony of the lyre.
4 You thrill me, LORD, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done.
5 O LORD, what great miracles you do! And how deep are your thoughts.
6 Only an ignorant person would not know this! Only a fool would not understand it.
7 Although the wicked flourish like weeds, and evildoers blossom with success, there is only eternal destruction ahead of them.
8 But you are exalted in the heavens. You, O LORD, continue forever.
9 Your enemies, LORD, will surely perish; all evildoers will be scattered.
10 But you have made me as strong as a wild bull. How refreshed I am by your power!
11 With my own eyes I have seen the downfall of my enemies; with my own ears I have heard the defeat of my wicked opponents.
12 But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.
13 For they are transplanted into the LORD's own house. They flourish in the courts of our God.
14 Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.
15 They will declare, "The LORD is just! He is my rock! There is nothing but goodness in him!"
Lena Journals
This is ALL about the temporary verses the eternal. The natural verses the supernatural. Seeing and living in the spirit, compared to seeing only and living now in the flesh.
Do you know, and have you ever considered that you are not a human who is, as a Christian might be, having some spiritual experiences?
You do know that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, right? That after death in the earth suit, our spirit man which was already alive while we lived on earth in our earth suit bodies, goes on to “be with the Lord”?
You’ve heard of people in near death experiences say, I saw my body lying there…., right?
Let me offer you this God breathed perspective. We ARE spirit beings, having a very short in terms of eternity, earth and human experience!
That spirit that leaves the body in physical death IS alive now, meaning eternal or spiritual now. It may be eternally dead to life with God outside of Christ’s Lordship, but it can become made alive eternally or spiritually by being found in the Lordship of Christ!
So, David writes….BUT no mater what seems to be happening here, in my humanness, You are still Lord, and if I acknowledge You as such, I can exalt You anyway, no matter what it appears like, because I see beyond the blink life I now live as a mortal with a human body!
The way I live now, effects my eternity then, and what I do now and who I trust, has everything to do with my eternal set up, other than that this earth life is far too short and way too fleeting. All of that is concerning the me.
Where leading others to eternal life is concerned, the days are WAYYYY too short to help others know all of this and live as though every moment counts here for there.
I know, that now seems hard, but the hardness will ultimately pass away as my physical body will also, when that time comes. My enemies, the ones who tried to take my faith, will vanish in their power against my faith.
They weren’t so much out for my body, but through my body and my perspective, they were definitely out for my spirit using the avenues of my soul.
If I can see all of that as temporarily happening for the taking and capturing of my soul and my faith, it really becomes mere hogwash to me.
Flourish like a palm tree? What about the reports that were just given to me, bad ones?
Who are you, I ask? And to whom do you belong?
What is your life here for?
In that you may succumb or overcome?
The choice to see spiritually is ours
To believe eternally is ours, to live as spirits that are alive, is ours.
Everyone needs purpose to live.
Purpose is:
To know Him and make Him known.
That’s about it.
That’s enough. More than enough to live breathe and overcome.
Monday, November 12, 2007
1 Timothy 4 Today
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
1 Tim 4
Warnings against False Teachers
1Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe; they will follow lying spirits and teachings that come from demons. 2These teachers are hypocrites and liars. They pretend to be religious, but their consciences are dead. F11
3They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanksgiving by people who know and believe the truth. 4Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it. We may receive it gladly, with thankful hearts. 5For we know it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
A Good Servant of Christ Jesus
6If you explain this to the brothers and sisters, F12 you will be doing your duty as a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is fed by the message of faith and the true teaching you have followed. 7Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives' tales. Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. 8Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next. 9This is true, and everyone should accept it. 10We work hard and suffer much F13 in order that people will believe the truth, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and particularly of those who believe.
11Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them. 12Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you teach, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. 13Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them.
14Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecies spoken to you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. 15Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. 16Keep a close watch on yourself and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right, and God will save you and those who hear you.
________________________________________
FOOTNOTES:
F11: Greek are seared.
F12: Greek brothers.
F13: Some manuscripts read and strive.
God Bless You Today, Lena B
1 Tim 4
Warnings against False Teachers
1Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe; they will follow lying spirits and teachings that come from demons. 2These teachers are hypocrites and liars. They pretend to be religious, but their consciences are dead. F11
3They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanksgiving by people who know and believe the truth. 4Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it. We may receive it gladly, with thankful hearts. 5For we know it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
A Good Servant of Christ Jesus
6If you explain this to the brothers and sisters, F12 you will be doing your duty as a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is fed by the message of faith and the true teaching you have followed. 7Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives' tales. Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. 8Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next. 9This is true, and everyone should accept it. 10We work hard and suffer much F13 in order that people will believe the truth, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and particularly of those who believe.
11Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them. 12Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you teach, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. 13Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them.
14Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecies spoken to you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. 15Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. 16Keep a close watch on yourself and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right, and God will save you and those who hear you.
________________________________________
FOOTNOTES:
F11: Greek are seared.
F12: Greek brothers.
F13: Some manuscripts read and strive.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Jonah 3 Today
Note- IF this e-mail is encrypted at all and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Jonah 3Jonah Goes to Nineveh
1Then the LORD spoke to Jonah a second time: 2"Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message of judgment I have given you."
3This time Jonah obeyed the LORD's command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all. 4On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: "Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!" 5The people of Nineveh believed God's message, and from the greatest to the least, they decided to go without food and wear sackcloth to show their sorrow.
6When the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne and took off his royal robes. He dressed himself in sackcloth and sat on a heap of ashes. 7Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city: "No one, not even the animals, may eat or drink anything at all. 8Everyone is required to wear sackcloth and pray earnestly to God. Everyone must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence. 9Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will have pity on us and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us."
10When God saw that they had put a stop to their evil ways, he had mercy on them and didn't carry out the destruction he had threatened.
Lena Journals Today
…from yesterday’s exhortation….
Is the place we find ourselves allowed to be in, the place that by God’s great grace, is it leading us to repent, to head towards change, and to about face towards purpose and the active fulfillment of such?
If our recognition of being in the wrong place in life or of knowing we’re not where we should be, has not yet moved us, have we really truly repented?
Jonah was in a smelly whale’s belly, and was vomited up on the beach!
Did he go get back on a boat again and head in another direction?
What did he do?
What do we do?
Today, now, what will we do with what we hear right here or “know” right now?
Do we have to find it out by our own experiences or can we learn for a story given to us by our Father, such as the one of Jonah?
If any of us go to church, we’ve heard enough word, if we engage it, do it, and become it, we know enough to save a world!
Jonah went from that place of extreme grace, to save his appointed community.
What is your appointed community?
Do you know you do not need to go fast and pray to find out?
We are where we are because God set us up where we are.
Our families
Our jobs
Our churches
Our neighborhoods
Our cities, etc, all have lost people in them that need to see the living, obedient, love of God, working in and through us.
They need to watch people such as us go through growth processes and turn from sin ourselves, repent, obey, and willfully change!
Right here, right now, right where we are, today!
Do not look so far off, start right where you find you are.
You are called to “bloom where you are planted”.
Acts 17 expresses this boundary marking well
24 "He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn't live in man-made temples, 25 and human hands can't serve his needs – for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need there is. 26 From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand which should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. 27 "His purpose in all of this was that the nations should seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him – though he is not far from any one of us.
Jonah means dove, a dove is a messenger, it also represents the in filling or anointing and empowerment of God’s spirit on human beings, it speaks of being set apart for a purpose, the root is wine of fruit of the vineyard. The product that comes of and from grapes grown and brought to full maturity.
This IS who we are
Called
Appointed
Not left to our own strength
But anointed
With the call and empowerment of the Most High God
Set apart for his purposes on earth
To save
In the process of being saved ourselves
Continually
Today!
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Jonah 3Jonah Goes to Nineveh
1Then the LORD spoke to Jonah a second time: 2"Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message of judgment I have given you."
3This time Jonah obeyed the LORD's command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all. 4On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: "Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!" 5The people of Nineveh believed God's message, and from the greatest to the least, they decided to go without food and wear sackcloth to show their sorrow.
6When the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne and took off his royal robes. He dressed himself in sackcloth and sat on a heap of ashes. 7Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city: "No one, not even the animals, may eat or drink anything at all. 8Everyone is required to wear sackcloth and pray earnestly to God. Everyone must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence. 9Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will have pity on us and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us."
10When God saw that they had put a stop to their evil ways, he had mercy on them and didn't carry out the destruction he had threatened.
Lena Journals Today
…from yesterday’s exhortation….
Is the place we find ourselves allowed to be in, the place that by God’s great grace, is it leading us to repent, to head towards change, and to about face towards purpose and the active fulfillment of such?
If our recognition of being in the wrong place in life or of knowing we’re not where we should be, has not yet moved us, have we really truly repented?
Jonah was in a smelly whale’s belly, and was vomited up on the beach!
Did he go get back on a boat again and head in another direction?
What did he do?
What do we do?
Today, now, what will we do with what we hear right here or “know” right now?
Do we have to find it out by our own experiences or can we learn for a story given to us by our Father, such as the one of Jonah?
If any of us go to church, we’ve heard enough word, if we engage it, do it, and become it, we know enough to save a world!
Jonah went from that place of extreme grace, to save his appointed community.
What is your appointed community?
Do you know you do not need to go fast and pray to find out?
We are where we are because God set us up where we are.
Our families
Our jobs
Our churches
Our neighborhoods
Our cities, etc, all have lost people in them that need to see the living, obedient, love of God, working in and through us.
They need to watch people such as us go through growth processes and turn from sin ourselves, repent, obey, and willfully change!
Right here, right now, right where we are, today!
Do not look so far off, start right where you find you are.
You are called to “bloom where you are planted”.
Acts 17 expresses this boundary marking well
24 "He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn't live in man-made temples, 25 and human hands can't serve his needs – for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need there is. 26 From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand which should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. 27 "His purpose in all of this was that the nations should seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him – though he is not far from any one of us.
Jonah means dove, a dove is a messenger, it also represents the in filling or anointing and empowerment of God’s spirit on human beings, it speaks of being set apart for a purpose, the root is wine of fruit of the vineyard. The product that comes of and from grapes grown and brought to full maturity.
This IS who we are
Called
Appointed
Not left to our own strength
But anointed
With the call and empowerment of the Most High God
Set apart for his purposes on earth
To save
In the process of being saved ourselves
Continually
Today!
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Jonah 2 Today
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Jonah 2Jonah's Prayer
1Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from inside the fish. 2He said, "I cried out to the LORD in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the world of the dead, F1 and LORD, you heard me! 3You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. 4Then I said, 'O LORD, you have driven me from your presence. How will I ever again see your holy Temple?'
5"I sank beneath the waves, and death was very near. The waters closed in around me, and seaweed wrapped itself around my head. 6I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was locked out of life and imprisoned in the land of the dead. But you, O LORD my God, have snatched me from the yawning jaws of death!
7"When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the LORD. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. 8Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God's mercies. 9But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the LORD alone."
10Then the LORD ordered the fish to spit up Jonah on the beach, and it did.
Lena Journals ~
Does God ever throw us into the deep “ocean”?
Would He do that?
No, really, would He?
Thank about it.
Why does God allow anything specific to happen to or with us?
Why would He “do” that?
Love
Grace
& Purpose
Are a few words that come to me.
How can that be?
Grace would be, I’m not dead yet and maybe what I’ve experienced will actually shake me up enough to turn me towards Him and save me and lead me towards my destined purpose, that I actually still have time to fulfill.
Just maybe. (the maybe depends upon me and what I decide)
That’s grace.
Love, is, when I go ahead and turn away from the very ways He’s allotted me to walk in, He does not actually forsake me forever. As long as I’m alive here still, in decision making capability, I can turn back towards His ways. I cry out in pain, self inflicted agony, inside of the consequences of my own decisive choices and He is faithful to answer. He’s been waiting to hear His name roll off of my tongue. He loves me, desires me, looks for me, to come home!
When I feel SO far from home, He is just one turn away.
He graciously shows me how far away I have been and He sweeps me off my feet anyway!
My guilt is gone in a 180 pivoting.
He restores my very soul.
He even orders circumstances to cough me up.
Wow!
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Jonah 2Jonah's Prayer
1Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from inside the fish. 2He said, "I cried out to the LORD in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the world of the dead, F1 and LORD, you heard me! 3You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. 4Then I said, 'O LORD, you have driven me from your presence. How will I ever again see your holy Temple?'
5"I sank beneath the waves, and death was very near. The waters closed in around me, and seaweed wrapped itself around my head. 6I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was locked out of life and imprisoned in the land of the dead. But you, O LORD my God, have snatched me from the yawning jaws of death!
7"When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the LORD. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. 8Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God's mercies. 9But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the LORD alone."
10Then the LORD ordered the fish to spit up Jonah on the beach, and it did.
Lena Journals ~
Does God ever throw us into the deep “ocean”?
Would He do that?
No, really, would He?
Thank about it.
Why does God allow anything specific to happen to or with us?
Why would He “do” that?
Love
Grace
& Purpose
Are a few words that come to me.
How can that be?
Grace would be, I’m not dead yet and maybe what I’ve experienced will actually shake me up enough to turn me towards Him and save me and lead me towards my destined purpose, that I actually still have time to fulfill.
Just maybe. (the maybe depends upon me and what I decide)
That’s grace.
Love, is, when I go ahead and turn away from the very ways He’s allotted me to walk in, He does not actually forsake me forever. As long as I’m alive here still, in decision making capability, I can turn back towards His ways. I cry out in pain, self inflicted agony, inside of the consequences of my own decisive choices and He is faithful to answer. He’s been waiting to hear His name roll off of my tongue. He loves me, desires me, looks for me, to come home!
When I feel SO far from home, He is just one turn away.
He graciously shows me how far away I have been and He sweeps me off my feet anyway!
My guilt is gone in a 180 pivoting.
He restores my very soul.
He even orders circumstances to cough me up.
Wow!
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Jonah 1 Today
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Jonah 1
Jonah Runs from the LORD
1The LORD gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: 2"Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh! Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are."
3But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction in order to get away from the LORD. He went down to the seacoast, to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping that by going away to the west he could escape from the LORD.
4But as the ship was sailing along, suddenly the LORD flung a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to send them to the bottom. 5Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship. And all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold. 6So the captain went down after him. "How can you sleep at a time like this?" he shouted. "Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will have mercy on us and spare our lives."
7Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, Jonah lost the toss. 8"What have you done to bring this awful storm down on us?" they demanded. "Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?"
9And Jonah answered, "I am a Hebrew, and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." 10Then he told them that he was running away from the LORD. The sailors were terrified when they heard this. "Oh, why did you do it?" they groaned. 11And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, "What should we do to you to stop this storm?"
12"Throw me into the sea," Jonah said, "and it will become calm again. For I know that this terrible storm is all my fault."
13Instead, the sailors tried even harder to row the boat ashore. But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn't make it. 14Then they cried out to the LORD, Jonah's God. "O LORD," they pleaded, "don't make us die for this man's sin. And don't hold us responsible for his death, because it isn't our fault. O LORD, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons."
15Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! 16The sailors were awestruck by the LORD's great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.
17Now the LORD had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.
Lena Journals -
I have personally heard simple words from the Lord, usually from the mouth of my pastors or spiritual leaders, maybe even form my husband or mom or, a friend, and turned away from the word I’d heard.
I did that by regarding the words as mere words of men, or regarding it as optional advise that I can take or leave.
Ya know God’s word is so that way? We can either take it or leave it. It is truly up to us.
What we do when we hear God’s word preached, taught, or explained to us is totally up to us.
God made us to have free wills, we can do what we want with what we hear.
A whole community or township may be awaiting our obedience, but we can make our own choices and do what we want, when we want it, the way we want to, and guess what? God usually lets us!
Now we may find our lives in a mess, a mess we’ll later on cry out to the very Lord we rejected the word of, and ask His help to be rescued, and He quite possibly will rescue us, because He is faithful.
His word says, I cried out to the Lord and He heard me and delivered me form all MY (self inflicted) troubles….
The earth is full of people who say they love God, and who are doing what Jonah did.
We should come to the place where we will not allow ourselves the liberties to read these Biblical stories as though we are not the very characters inside of the stories.
I mean I see I have walked in the very opposite direction from words of God. I want to try it my own way, until I get a bad experience that stops me and makes me reevaluate where I am at.
Just as every good parent feels, God does not want u to go from experience to rescue and experience to rescue again, in order to learn a few things from life. He gave us the experiences of others and wrote them in an amazing book for us to gain a heart of wisdom through our obedience and He gave us His grace to avoid the actual experiences.
This story also makes me think of how our personal choices, to avoid God, has an effect on the lives of others. Just as Jonah thought he was hiding and took a boat ride to rest, but caused others to risk their lives when they did not even ask to be a part of the deal, so it is with our families, churches and communities when we walk away from what God is saying to us (personally).
A great work always starts in a community with one obedient faithful person.
The community Jonah hid in said, don’t make us die for this man’s sin!
Wow, huh?
Do we really believe our own sins could affect people that way?
Then they said, we also don’t want to be made to be responsible for this man’s death (punishment).
Do we think others could be held responsible as we are, for our personal disobedience?
There is a scripture that says, you can be assured that your sins will find you out. It seems that finding out about sin is really grace to save us and our families, churches, and communities!
Wow, huh?
So the LORD arranged for a big fish to swallow Jonah…, that again is grace.
Have a grace-filled day!
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Jonah 1
Jonah Runs from the LORD
1The LORD gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: 2"Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh! Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are."
3But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction in order to get away from the LORD. He went down to the seacoast, to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping that by going away to the west he could escape from the LORD.
4But as the ship was sailing along, suddenly the LORD flung a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to send them to the bottom. 5Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship. And all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold. 6So the captain went down after him. "How can you sleep at a time like this?" he shouted. "Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will have mercy on us and spare our lives."
7Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, Jonah lost the toss. 8"What have you done to bring this awful storm down on us?" they demanded. "Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?"
9And Jonah answered, "I am a Hebrew, and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." 10Then he told them that he was running away from the LORD. The sailors were terrified when they heard this. "Oh, why did you do it?" they groaned. 11And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, "What should we do to you to stop this storm?"
12"Throw me into the sea," Jonah said, "and it will become calm again. For I know that this terrible storm is all my fault."
13Instead, the sailors tried even harder to row the boat ashore. But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn't make it. 14Then they cried out to the LORD, Jonah's God. "O LORD," they pleaded, "don't make us die for this man's sin. And don't hold us responsible for his death, because it isn't our fault. O LORD, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons."
15Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! 16The sailors were awestruck by the LORD's great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.
17Now the LORD had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.
Lena Journals -
I have personally heard simple words from the Lord, usually from the mouth of my pastors or spiritual leaders, maybe even form my husband or mom or, a friend, and turned away from the word I’d heard.
I did that by regarding the words as mere words of men, or regarding it as optional advise that I can take or leave.
Ya know God’s word is so that way? We can either take it or leave it. It is truly up to us.
What we do when we hear God’s word preached, taught, or explained to us is totally up to us.
God made us to have free wills, we can do what we want with what we hear.
A whole community or township may be awaiting our obedience, but we can make our own choices and do what we want, when we want it, the way we want to, and guess what? God usually lets us!
Now we may find our lives in a mess, a mess we’ll later on cry out to the very Lord we rejected the word of, and ask His help to be rescued, and He quite possibly will rescue us, because He is faithful.
His word says, I cried out to the Lord and He heard me and delivered me form all MY (self inflicted) troubles….
The earth is full of people who say they love God, and who are doing what Jonah did.
We should come to the place where we will not allow ourselves the liberties to read these Biblical stories as though we are not the very characters inside of the stories.
I mean I see I have walked in the very opposite direction from words of God. I want to try it my own way, until I get a bad experience that stops me and makes me reevaluate where I am at.
Just as every good parent feels, God does not want u to go from experience to rescue and experience to rescue again, in order to learn a few things from life. He gave us the experiences of others and wrote them in an amazing book for us to gain a heart of wisdom through our obedience and He gave us His grace to avoid the actual experiences.
This story also makes me think of how our personal choices, to avoid God, has an effect on the lives of others. Just as Jonah thought he was hiding and took a boat ride to rest, but caused others to risk their lives when they did not even ask to be a part of the deal, so it is with our families, churches and communities when we walk away from what God is saying to us (personally).
A great work always starts in a community with one obedient faithful person.
The community Jonah hid in said, don’t make us die for this man’s sin!
Wow, huh?
Do we really believe our own sins could affect people that way?
Then they said, we also don’t want to be made to be responsible for this man’s death (punishment).
Do we think others could be held responsible as we are, for our personal disobedience?
There is a scripture that says, you can be assured that your sins will find you out. It seems that finding out about sin is really grace to save us and our families, churches, and communities!
Wow, huh?
So the LORD arranged for a big fish to swallow Jonah…, that again is grace.
Have a grace-filled day!
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Psalm 50 Today
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Psalm 50
A psalm of Asaph.
1 The mighty God, the LORD, has spoken; he has summoned all humanity from east to west!
2 From Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines in glorious radiance.
3 Our God approaches with the noise of thunder. Fire devours everything in his way, and a great storm rages around him.
4 Heaven and earth will be his witnesses as he judges his people:
5 "Bring my faithful people to me— those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices."
6 Then let the heavens proclaim his justice, for God himself will be the judge.
Interlude
7 "O my people, listen as I speak. Here are my charges against you, O Israel: I am God, your God!
8 I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly bring to my altar.
9 But I want no more bulls from your barns; I want no more goats from your pens.
10 For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 Every bird of the mountains and all the animals of the field belong to me.
12 If I were hungry, I would not mention it to you, for all the world is mine and everything in it.
13 I don't need the bulls you sacrifice; I don't need the blood of goats.
14 What I want instead is your true thanks to God; I want you to fulfill your vows to the Most High.
15 Trust me in your times of trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory."
16 But God says to the wicked: "Recite my laws no longer, and don't pretend that you obey me.
17 For you refuse my discipline and treat my laws like trash.
18 When you see a thief, you help him, and you spend your time with adulterers.
19 Your mouths are filled with wickedness, and your tongues are full of lies.
20 You sit around and slander a brother— your own mother's son.
21 While you did all this, I remained silent, and you thought I didn't care. But now I will rebuke you, listing all my charges against you.
22 Repent, all of you who ignore me, or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you.
23 But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God."
Lena Journals Today
The summonsing of all humanity is that call with in us that we each hear form God’s spirit, to come to God as we are, and to stand before Him as He is, to face Him in all our mistakenness and be with Him in all of His gloriousness.
It is, to willingly see ourselves and compare ourselves to Him, knowing and realizing our great need to become as He is. Yes initially it is to see our lack without Him and to have a lifelong desire to live in His sight as He is.
If we’ve walked with Him at all, in any capacity, we know this is impossible without His help, without His power, yet possible to those who are willing to walk in His ways.
The obedience’s to His ways, the acknowledgment of our own ways and the repentance to make that about-face and turn towards His desired and pre planned will is what brings forth and releases the miraculous power of God within us to heal us. This is what will fill us and make us who we are designed to be in Him.
Willing obedience is the only way into His glory, both on earth and in heaven.
He says something here like: I love when you go to church and read your Bible and Pray, but I do not want you to do that because you have to, and if you find out, in willingly standing before me and presenting yourself in comparison to Me, if you find that, that is your reasoning, that you do honestly feel you have to, then cry out to Me to change your desire and by faith exercise godly discipline to change the will of your heart towards Me. I’d almost rather you don’t do the duties, if you have no plans to change your will to do them.
If you somehow were lied to and thought the duties are all you need, then I really want you to know that the duties are useless, they are not what I’m looking for. I’m looking for a heart that does what it does, because of its great love and utter appreciation of Me.
Yes, I’d love for you to regularly be in church services, regularly lifting your hands and voice in praise in the midst of a congregation that does the same. Yes, I’d love for you to make Bible Study with teachers of the Word a priority in life. I’d love for you to show Me, and live this out as a witness to your family, (especially your children) and then also the world, that My Stuff, the stuff I seem to you to require or desire, is the best stuff for you, the stuff you chose to do first and foremost.
I love it when you choose Me and time with Me and My body, the fellowship of My people, above the millions of other choices you have to make each day.
I love when you come to Me first for solutions to problems, and that you press in to My answers rather than just popping quick fixes for situations. I want you to trust Me, really wholeheartedly Trust Me, but know, that doing any of that without a want to, is sad for me, very sad.
Biggest barrier to the want to’s…….an unthankful heart.
Today, GIVE THANKS to GOD in EVERYTHING!
Amen
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Psalm 50
A psalm of Asaph.
1 The mighty God, the LORD, has spoken; he has summoned all humanity from east to west!
2 From Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines in glorious radiance.
3 Our God approaches with the noise of thunder. Fire devours everything in his way, and a great storm rages around him.
4 Heaven and earth will be his witnesses as he judges his people:
5 "Bring my faithful people to me— those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices."
6 Then let the heavens proclaim his justice, for God himself will be the judge.
Interlude
7 "O my people, listen as I speak. Here are my charges against you, O Israel: I am God, your God!
8 I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly bring to my altar.
9 But I want no more bulls from your barns; I want no more goats from your pens.
10 For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 Every bird of the mountains and all the animals of the field belong to me.
12 If I were hungry, I would not mention it to you, for all the world is mine and everything in it.
13 I don't need the bulls you sacrifice; I don't need the blood of goats.
14 What I want instead is your true thanks to God; I want you to fulfill your vows to the Most High.
15 Trust me in your times of trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory."
16 But God says to the wicked: "Recite my laws no longer, and don't pretend that you obey me.
17 For you refuse my discipline and treat my laws like trash.
18 When you see a thief, you help him, and you spend your time with adulterers.
19 Your mouths are filled with wickedness, and your tongues are full of lies.
20 You sit around and slander a brother— your own mother's son.
21 While you did all this, I remained silent, and you thought I didn't care. But now I will rebuke you, listing all my charges against you.
22 Repent, all of you who ignore me, or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you.
23 But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God."
Lena Journals Today
The summonsing of all humanity is that call with in us that we each hear form God’s spirit, to come to God as we are, and to stand before Him as He is, to face Him in all our mistakenness and be with Him in all of His gloriousness.
It is, to willingly see ourselves and compare ourselves to Him, knowing and realizing our great need to become as He is. Yes initially it is to see our lack without Him and to have a lifelong desire to live in His sight as He is.
If we’ve walked with Him at all, in any capacity, we know this is impossible without His help, without His power, yet possible to those who are willing to walk in His ways.
The obedience’s to His ways, the acknowledgment of our own ways and the repentance to make that about-face and turn towards His desired and pre planned will is what brings forth and releases the miraculous power of God within us to heal us. This is what will fill us and make us who we are designed to be in Him.
Willing obedience is the only way into His glory, both on earth and in heaven.
He says something here like: I love when you go to church and read your Bible and Pray, but I do not want you to do that because you have to, and if you find out, in willingly standing before me and presenting yourself in comparison to Me, if you find that, that is your reasoning, that you do honestly feel you have to, then cry out to Me to change your desire and by faith exercise godly discipline to change the will of your heart towards Me. I’d almost rather you don’t do the duties, if you have no plans to change your will to do them.
If you somehow were lied to and thought the duties are all you need, then I really want you to know that the duties are useless, they are not what I’m looking for. I’m looking for a heart that does what it does, because of its great love and utter appreciation of Me.
Yes, I’d love for you to regularly be in church services, regularly lifting your hands and voice in praise in the midst of a congregation that does the same. Yes, I’d love for you to make Bible Study with teachers of the Word a priority in life. I’d love for you to show Me, and live this out as a witness to your family, (especially your children) and then also the world, that My Stuff, the stuff I seem to you to require or desire, is the best stuff for you, the stuff you chose to do first and foremost.
I love it when you choose Me and time with Me and My body, the fellowship of My people, above the millions of other choices you have to make each day.
I love when you come to Me first for solutions to problems, and that you press in to My answers rather than just popping quick fixes for situations. I want you to trust Me, really wholeheartedly Trust Me, but know, that doing any of that without a want to, is sad for me, very sad.
Biggest barrier to the want to’s…….an unthankful heart.
Today, GIVE THANKS to GOD in EVERYTHING!
Amen
Monday, October 22, 2007
Today's Daily Bread Reading 1 Peter 1
God Bless The Riddell Family Today
At the Graduation of Their Beloved Vincie Riddell
6-17-1949 to 10-21-07
A Birth and Passage from this Earth Life to The Eternal Life given by Jeswus Christ Our Beloved Lord.
May the Comfort of His Holy Spirit guard you and keep you in all of His ways, and May His peace be yours, forever!
As we miss the life on earth that touched our hearts in this time.
Amen!
With Love in the Faith of Jesus Christ,
Lena
The Daily Bread -
1 Peter 1
Greetings from Peter
1This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to God's chosen people who are living as foreigners in the lands of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, the province of Asia, and Bithynia. 2God the Father chose you long ago, and the Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Jesus Christ and are cleansed by his blood. May you have more and more of God's special favor and wonderful peace.
The Hope of Eternal Life
3All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. 4For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see. 6So be truly glad! F1 There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.
7These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
8You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him, you trust him; and even now you are happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9Your reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.
10This salvation was something the prophets wanted to know more about. They prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you, even though they had many questions as to what it all could mean. 11They wondered what the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ's suffering and his great glory afterward. They wondered when and to whom all this would happen.
12They were told that these things would not happen during their lifetime, but many years later, during yours. And now this Good News has been announced by those who preached to you in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.
A Call to Holy Living
13So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the special blessings that will come to you at the return of Jesus Christ. 14Obey God because you are his children. Don't slip back into your old ways of doing evil; you didn't know any better then. 15But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God—who chose you to be his children—is holy. 16For he himself has said, "You must be holy because I am holy." F2
17And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites when he judges. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as foreigners here on earth. 18For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. 19He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20God chose him for this purpose long before the world began, but now in these final days, he was sent to the earth for all to see. And he did this for you.
21Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And because God raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory, your faith and hope can be placed confidently in God. 22Now you can have sincere love for each other as brothers and sisters F3 because you were cleansed from your sins when you accepted the truth of the Good News. So see to it that you really do love each other intensely with all your hearts. F4
23For you have been born again. Your new life did not come from your earthly parents because the life they gave you will end in death. But this new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. 24As the prophet says,
"People are like grass that dies away; their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of wildflowers.
The grass withers, and the flowers fall away.
25 But the word of the Lord will last forever." F5 And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.
________________________________________
FOOTNOTES:
F1: Or So you are truly glad.
F2: Lev 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7.
F3: Greek can have brotherly love.
F4: Some manuscripts read with a pure heart.
F5: Isa 40:6-8.
At the Graduation of Their Beloved Vincie Riddell
6-17-1949 to 10-21-07
A Birth and Passage from this Earth Life to The Eternal Life given by Jeswus Christ Our Beloved Lord.
May the Comfort of His Holy Spirit guard you and keep you in all of His ways, and May His peace be yours, forever!
As we miss the life on earth that touched our hearts in this time.
Amen!
With Love in the Faith of Jesus Christ,
Lena
The Daily Bread -
1 Peter 1
Greetings from Peter
1This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to God's chosen people who are living as foreigners in the lands of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, the province of Asia, and Bithynia. 2God the Father chose you long ago, and the Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Jesus Christ and are cleansed by his blood. May you have more and more of God's special favor and wonderful peace.
The Hope of Eternal Life
3All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. 4For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see. 6So be truly glad! F1 There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.
7These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
8You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him, you trust him; and even now you are happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9Your reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.
10This salvation was something the prophets wanted to know more about. They prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you, even though they had many questions as to what it all could mean. 11They wondered what the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ's suffering and his great glory afterward. They wondered when and to whom all this would happen.
12They were told that these things would not happen during their lifetime, but many years later, during yours. And now this Good News has been announced by those who preached to you in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.
A Call to Holy Living
13So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the special blessings that will come to you at the return of Jesus Christ. 14Obey God because you are his children. Don't slip back into your old ways of doing evil; you didn't know any better then. 15But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God—who chose you to be his children—is holy. 16For he himself has said, "You must be holy because I am holy." F2
17And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites when he judges. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as foreigners here on earth. 18For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. 19He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20God chose him for this purpose long before the world began, but now in these final days, he was sent to the earth for all to see. And he did this for you.
21Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And because God raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory, your faith and hope can be placed confidently in God. 22Now you can have sincere love for each other as brothers and sisters F3 because you were cleansed from your sins when you accepted the truth of the Good News. So see to it that you really do love each other intensely with all your hearts. F4
23For you have been born again. Your new life did not come from your earthly parents because the life they gave you will end in death. But this new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. 24As the prophet says,
"People are like grass that dies away; their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of wildflowers.
The grass withers, and the flowers fall away.
25 But the word of the Lord will last forever." F5 And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.
________________________________________
FOOTNOTES:
F1: Or So you are truly glad.
F2: Lev 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7.
F3: Greek can have brotherly love.
F4: Some manuscripts read with a pure heart.
F5: Isa 40:6-8.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Daniel 12 Today
The Time of the End
1"At that time Michael, the archangel F59 who stands guard over your nation, will arise. Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence. But at that time every one of your people whose name is written in the book will be rescued. 2Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who turn many to righteousness will shine like stars forever. 4But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end. Many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase."
5Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two others standing on opposite banks of the river. 6One of them asked the man dressed in linen, who was now standing above the river, "How long will it be until these shocking events happen?"
7The man dressed in linen, who was standing above the river, raised both his hands toward heaven and took this solemn oath by the one who lives forever: "It will go on for a time, times, and half a time. When the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened."
8I heard what he said, but I did not understand what he meant. So I asked, "How will all this finally end, my lord?"
9But he said, "Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is for the time of the end. 10Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means.
11"From the time the daily sacrifice is taken away and the sacrilegious object that causes desecration F60 is set up to be worshiped, there will be 1,290 days. 12And blessed are those who wait and remain until the end of the 1,335 days!
13"As for you, go your way until the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days, you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTES:
F59: Hebrew the great prince.
F60: Hebrew the abomination of desolation.
1"At that time Michael, the archangel F59 who stands guard over your nation, will arise. Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence. But at that time every one of your people whose name is written in the book will be rescued. 2Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who turn many to righteousness will shine like stars forever. 4But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end. Many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase."
5Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two others standing on opposite banks of the river. 6One of them asked the man dressed in linen, who was now standing above the river, "How long will it be until these shocking events happen?"
7The man dressed in linen, who was standing above the river, raised both his hands toward heaven and took this solemn oath by the one who lives forever: "It will go on for a time, times, and half a time. When the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened."
8I heard what he said, but I did not understand what he meant. So I asked, "How will all this finally end, my lord?"
9But he said, "Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is for the time of the end. 10Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means.
11"From the time the daily sacrifice is taken away and the sacrilegious object that causes desecration F60 is set up to be worshiped, there will be 1,290 days. 12And blessed are those who wait and remain until the end of the 1,335 days!
13"As for you, go your way until the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days, you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTES:
F59: Hebrew the great prince.
F60: Hebrew the abomination of desolation.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Daniel 11 Today's Daily Bread
Kings of the South and North
12"Now then, I will reveal the truth to you. Three more Persian kings will reign, to be succeeded by a fourth, far richer than the others. Using his wealth for political advantage, he will stir up everyone to war against the kingdom of Greece. F53
3"Then a mighty king will rise to power who will rule a vast kingdom and accomplish everything he sets out to do. 4But at the height of his power, his kingdom will be broken apart and divided into four parts. It will not be ruled by the king's descendants, nor will the kingdom hold the authority it once had. For his empire will be uprooted and given to others.
5"The king of the south will increase in power, but one of this king's own officials will become more powerful than he and will rule his kingdom with great strength.
6"Some years later, an alliance will be formed between the king of the north and the king of the south. The daughter of the king of the south will be given in marriage to the king of the north to secure the alliance, but she will lose her influence over him, and so will her father. She will be given up along with her supporters. 7But when one of her relatives F54 becomes king of the south, he will raise an army and enter the fortress of the king of the north and defeat him. 8When he returns again to Egypt, he will carry back their idols with him, along with priceless gold and silver dishes. For some years afterward he will leave the king of the north alone.
9"Later the king of the north will invade the realm of the king of the south but will soon return to his own land. 10However, the sons of the king of the north will assemble a mighty army that will advance like a flood and carry the battle as far as the enemy's fortress. 11Then the king of the south, in great anger, will rally against the vast forces assembled by the king of the north and will defeat them. 12After the enemy army is swept away, the king of the south will be filled with pride and will have many thousands of his enemies killed. But his success will be short lived.
13"A few years later, the king of the north will return with a fully equipped army far greater than the one he lost. 14At that time there will be a general uprising against the king of the south. Lawless ones among your own people will join them in order to fulfill the vision, but they will not succeed. 15Then the king of the north will come and lay siege to a fortified city and capture it. The best troops of the south will not be able to stand in the face of the onslaught.
16"The king of the north will march onward unopposed; none will be able to stop him. He will pause in the glorious land of Israel, intent on destroying it. 17He will make plans to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will form an alliance with the king of the south. He will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom from within, but his plan will fail.
18"After this, he will turn his attention to the coastal cities and conquer many. But a commander from another land will put an end to his insolence and will cause him to retreat in shame. 19He will take refuge in his own fortresses but will stumble and fall, and he will be seen no more.
20"His successor will be remembered as the king who sent a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor, but after a very brief reign, he will die, though neither in battle nor open conflict.
21"The next to come to power will be a despicable man who is not directly in line for royal succession. But he will slip in when least expected and take over the kingdom by flattery and intrigue. 22Before him great armies will be swept away, including a covenant prince. 23By making deceitful promises, he will make various alliances. With a mere handful of followers, he will become strong. 24Without warning he will enter the richest areas of the land and do something that none of his predecessors ever did—distribute among his followers the plunder and wealth of the rich. He will plot the overthrow of strongholds, but this will last for only a short while.
25"Then he will stir up his courage and raise a great army against the king of the south. The king of the south will go to battle with a mighty army, but to no avail, for plots against him will succeed. 26Those of his own household will bring his downfall. His army will be swept away, and many will be killed. 27Seeking nothing but each other's harm, these kings will plot against each other at the conference table, attempting to deceive each other. But it will make no difference, for an end will still come at the appointed time.
28"The king of the north will then return home with great riches. On the way he will set himself against the people of the holy covenant, doing much damage before continuing his journey.
29"Then at the appointed time he will once again invade the south, but this time the result will be different. 30For warships from western coastlands F55 will scare him off, and he will withdraw and return home. But he will vent his anger against the people of the holy covenant and reward those who forsake the covenant. 31His army will take over the Temple fortress, polluting the sanctuary, putting a stop to the daily sacrifices, and setting up the sacrilegious object that causes desecration. F56 32He will flatter those who have violated the covenant and win them over to his side. But the people who know their God will be strong and will resist him.
33"Those who are wise will give instruction to many. But for a time many of these teachers will die by fire and sword, or they will be jailed and robbed. 34While all these persecutions are going on, a little help will arrive, though many who join them will not be sincere. 35And some who are wise will fall victim to persecution. In this way, they will be refined and cleansed and made pure until the time of the end, for the appointed time is still to come.
36"The king will do as he pleases, exalting himself and claiming to be greater than every god there is, even blaspheming the God of gods. He will succeed—until the time of wrath is completed. For what has been determined will surely take place. 37He will have no regard for the gods of his ancestors, or for the god beloved of women, or for any other god, for he will boast that he is greater than them all. 38Instead of these, he will worship the god of fortresses—a god his ancestors never knew—and lavish on him gold, silver, precious stones, and costly gifts. 39Claiming this foreign god's help, he will attack the strongest fortresses. He will honor those who submit to him, appointing them to positions of authority and dividing the land among them as their reward. F57
40"Then at the time of the end, the king of the south will attack him, and the king of the north will storm out against him with chariots, cavalry, and a vast navy. He will invade various lands and sweep through them like a flood. 41He will enter the glorious land of Israel, and many nations will fall, but Moab, Edom, and the best part of Ammon will escape. 42He will conquer many countries, and Egypt will not escape. 43He will gain control over the gold, silver, and treasures of Egypt, and the Libyans and Ethiopians F58 will be his servants.
44"But then news from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in great anger to destroy many as he goes. 45He will halt between the glorious holy mountain and the sea and will pitch his royal tents there, but while he is there, his time will suddenly run out, and there will be no one to help him.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTES:
F53: Hebrew of Javan.
F54: Hebrew a branch from her roots.
F55: Hebrew from Kittim.
F56: Hebrew the abomination of desolation.
F57: Or at a price.
F58: Hebrew Cushites.
12"Now then, I will reveal the truth to you. Three more Persian kings will reign, to be succeeded by a fourth, far richer than the others. Using his wealth for political advantage, he will stir up everyone to war against the kingdom of Greece. F53
3"Then a mighty king will rise to power who will rule a vast kingdom and accomplish everything he sets out to do. 4But at the height of his power, his kingdom will be broken apart and divided into four parts. It will not be ruled by the king's descendants, nor will the kingdom hold the authority it once had. For his empire will be uprooted and given to others.
5"The king of the south will increase in power, but one of this king's own officials will become more powerful than he and will rule his kingdom with great strength.
6"Some years later, an alliance will be formed between the king of the north and the king of the south. The daughter of the king of the south will be given in marriage to the king of the north to secure the alliance, but she will lose her influence over him, and so will her father. She will be given up along with her supporters. 7But when one of her relatives F54 becomes king of the south, he will raise an army and enter the fortress of the king of the north and defeat him. 8When he returns again to Egypt, he will carry back their idols with him, along with priceless gold and silver dishes. For some years afterward he will leave the king of the north alone.
9"Later the king of the north will invade the realm of the king of the south but will soon return to his own land. 10However, the sons of the king of the north will assemble a mighty army that will advance like a flood and carry the battle as far as the enemy's fortress. 11Then the king of the south, in great anger, will rally against the vast forces assembled by the king of the north and will defeat them. 12After the enemy army is swept away, the king of the south will be filled with pride and will have many thousands of his enemies killed. But his success will be short lived.
13"A few years later, the king of the north will return with a fully equipped army far greater than the one he lost. 14At that time there will be a general uprising against the king of the south. Lawless ones among your own people will join them in order to fulfill the vision, but they will not succeed. 15Then the king of the north will come and lay siege to a fortified city and capture it. The best troops of the south will not be able to stand in the face of the onslaught.
16"The king of the north will march onward unopposed; none will be able to stop him. He will pause in the glorious land of Israel, intent on destroying it. 17He will make plans to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will form an alliance with the king of the south. He will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom from within, but his plan will fail.
18"After this, he will turn his attention to the coastal cities and conquer many. But a commander from another land will put an end to his insolence and will cause him to retreat in shame. 19He will take refuge in his own fortresses but will stumble and fall, and he will be seen no more.
20"His successor will be remembered as the king who sent a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor, but after a very brief reign, he will die, though neither in battle nor open conflict.
21"The next to come to power will be a despicable man who is not directly in line for royal succession. But he will slip in when least expected and take over the kingdom by flattery and intrigue. 22Before him great armies will be swept away, including a covenant prince. 23By making deceitful promises, he will make various alliances. With a mere handful of followers, he will become strong. 24Without warning he will enter the richest areas of the land and do something that none of his predecessors ever did—distribute among his followers the plunder and wealth of the rich. He will plot the overthrow of strongholds, but this will last for only a short while.
25"Then he will stir up his courage and raise a great army against the king of the south. The king of the south will go to battle with a mighty army, but to no avail, for plots against him will succeed. 26Those of his own household will bring his downfall. His army will be swept away, and many will be killed. 27Seeking nothing but each other's harm, these kings will plot against each other at the conference table, attempting to deceive each other. But it will make no difference, for an end will still come at the appointed time.
28"The king of the north will then return home with great riches. On the way he will set himself against the people of the holy covenant, doing much damage before continuing his journey.
29"Then at the appointed time he will once again invade the south, but this time the result will be different. 30For warships from western coastlands F55 will scare him off, and he will withdraw and return home. But he will vent his anger against the people of the holy covenant and reward those who forsake the covenant. 31His army will take over the Temple fortress, polluting the sanctuary, putting a stop to the daily sacrifices, and setting up the sacrilegious object that causes desecration. F56 32He will flatter those who have violated the covenant and win them over to his side. But the people who know their God will be strong and will resist him.
33"Those who are wise will give instruction to many. But for a time many of these teachers will die by fire and sword, or they will be jailed and robbed. 34While all these persecutions are going on, a little help will arrive, though many who join them will not be sincere. 35And some who are wise will fall victim to persecution. In this way, they will be refined and cleansed and made pure until the time of the end, for the appointed time is still to come.
36"The king will do as he pleases, exalting himself and claiming to be greater than every god there is, even blaspheming the God of gods. He will succeed—until the time of wrath is completed. For what has been determined will surely take place. 37He will have no regard for the gods of his ancestors, or for the god beloved of women, or for any other god, for he will boast that he is greater than them all. 38Instead of these, he will worship the god of fortresses—a god his ancestors never knew—and lavish on him gold, silver, precious stones, and costly gifts. 39Claiming this foreign god's help, he will attack the strongest fortresses. He will honor those who submit to him, appointing them to positions of authority and dividing the land among them as their reward. F57
40"Then at the time of the end, the king of the south will attack him, and the king of the north will storm out against him with chariots, cavalry, and a vast navy. He will invade various lands and sweep through them like a flood. 41He will enter the glorious land of Israel, and many nations will fall, but Moab, Edom, and the best part of Ammon will escape. 42He will conquer many countries, and Egypt will not escape. 43He will gain control over the gold, silver, and treasures of Egypt, and the Libyans and Ethiopians F58 will be his servants.
44"But then news from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in great anger to destroy many as he goes. 45He will halt between the glorious holy mountain and the sea and will pitch his royal tents there, but while he is there, his time will suddenly run out, and there will be no one to help him.
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FOOTNOTES:
F53: Hebrew of Javan.
F54: Hebrew a branch from her roots.
F55: Hebrew from Kittim.
F56: Hebrew the abomination of desolation.
F57: Or at a price.
F58: Hebrew Cushites.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Daniel 10 Today
Daniel's Vision of a Messenger
1In the third year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) had another vision. It concerned events certain to happen in the future—times of war and great hardship—and Daniel understood what the vision meant.
2When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been in mourning for three weeks. 3All that time I had eaten no rich food or meat, had drunk no wine, and had used no fragrant oils. 4On April 23, F45 as I was standing beside the great Tigris River, 5I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. 6His body looked like a dazzling gem. From his face came flashes like lightning, and his eyes were like flaming torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice was like the roaring of a vast multitude of people.
7I, Daniel, am the only one who saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide. 8So I was left there all alone to watch this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak. 9When I heard him speak, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground.
10Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. 11And the man said to me, "O Daniel, greatly loved of God, listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you." When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling with fear.
12Then he said, "Don't be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. 13But for twenty-one days the spirit prince F46 of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, F47 came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. F48 14Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come."
15While he was speaking to me, I looked down at the ground, unable to say a word. 16Then the one who looked like a man F49 touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing in front of me, "I am terrified by the vision I have seen, my lord, and I am very weak. 17How can someone like me, your servant, talk to you, my lord? My strength is gone, and I can hardly breathe."
18Then the one who looked like a man touched me again, and I felt my strength returning. 19"Don't be afraid," he said, "for you are deeply loved by God. Be at peace; take heart and be strong!" As he spoke these words, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him, "Now you may speak, my lord, for you have strengthened me."
20He replied, "Do you know why I have come? Soon I must return to fight against the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia, and then against the spirit prince of the kingdom of Greece. F50 21But before I do that, I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (There is no one to help me against these spirit princes except Michael, your spirit prince. F51 1I have been standing beside Michael F52 as his support and defense since the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede.)
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FOOTNOTES:
F45: Hebrew On the twenty-fourth day of the first month. This date in the book of Daniel can be cross-checked with dates in surviving Persian records and can be related accurately to our modern calendar. This day of the Hebrew lunar calendar occurred on April 23, 536 B.C.
F46: Hebrew the prince; also in 10:13c, 20.
F47: Hebrew the chief princes.
F48: As in one Greek version; Hebrew reads and I was left there with the kings of Persia. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
F49: As in most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text; one manuscript of the Masoretic Text and one Greek version read Then something that looked like a human hand.
F50: Hebrew of Javan.
F51: Hebrew against these except Michael, your prince.
F52: Hebrew him.
1In the third year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) had another vision. It concerned events certain to happen in the future—times of war and great hardship—and Daniel understood what the vision meant.
2When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been in mourning for three weeks. 3All that time I had eaten no rich food or meat, had drunk no wine, and had used no fragrant oils. 4On April 23, F45 as I was standing beside the great Tigris River, 5I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. 6His body looked like a dazzling gem. From his face came flashes like lightning, and his eyes were like flaming torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice was like the roaring of a vast multitude of people.
7I, Daniel, am the only one who saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide. 8So I was left there all alone to watch this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak. 9When I heard him speak, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground.
10Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. 11And the man said to me, "O Daniel, greatly loved of God, listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you." When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling with fear.
12Then he said, "Don't be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. 13But for twenty-one days the spirit prince F46 of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, F47 came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. F48 14Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come."
15While he was speaking to me, I looked down at the ground, unable to say a word. 16Then the one who looked like a man F49 touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing in front of me, "I am terrified by the vision I have seen, my lord, and I am very weak. 17How can someone like me, your servant, talk to you, my lord? My strength is gone, and I can hardly breathe."
18Then the one who looked like a man touched me again, and I felt my strength returning. 19"Don't be afraid," he said, "for you are deeply loved by God. Be at peace; take heart and be strong!" As he spoke these words, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him, "Now you may speak, my lord, for you have strengthened me."
20He replied, "Do you know why I have come? Soon I must return to fight against the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia, and then against the spirit prince of the kingdom of Greece. F50 21But before I do that, I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (There is no one to help me against these spirit princes except Michael, your spirit prince. F51 1I have been standing beside Michael F52 as his support and defense since the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede.)
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FOOTNOTES:
F45: Hebrew On the twenty-fourth day of the first month. This date in the book of Daniel can be cross-checked with dates in surviving Persian records and can be related accurately to our modern calendar. This day of the Hebrew lunar calendar occurred on April 23, 536 B.C.
F46: Hebrew the prince; also in 10:13c, 20.
F47: Hebrew the chief princes.
F48: As in one Greek version; Hebrew reads and I was left there with the kings of Persia. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
F49: As in most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text; one manuscript of the Masoretic Text and one Greek version read Then something that looked like a human hand.
F50: Hebrew of Javan.
F51: Hebrew against these except Michael, your prince.
F52: Hebrew him.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Daniel 9 Today
Daniel's Prayer for His People
1It was the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, who became king of the Babylonians. F34 2During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, was studying the writings of the prophets. I learned from the word of the LORD, as recorded by Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years. F35 3So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I wore rough sackcloth and sprinkled myself with ashes.
4I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: "O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and keep your commands. 5But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. 6We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke your messages to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land.
7"Lord, you are in the right; but our faces are covered with shame, just as you see us now. This is true of us all, including the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel, scattered near and far, wherever you have driven us because of our disloyalty to you. 8O LORD, we and our kings, princes, and ancestors are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. 9But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him. 10We have not obeyed the LORD our God, for we have not followed the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11All Israel has disobeyed your law and turned away, refusing to listen to your voice. "So now the solemn curses and judgments written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out against us because of our sin. 12You have done exactly what you warned you would do against us and our rulers. Never in all history has there been a disaster like the one that happened in Jerusalem. 13Every curse written against us in the law of Moses has come true. All the troubles he predicted have taken place. But we have refused to seek mercy from the LORD our God by turning from our sins and recognizing his truth. 14The LORD has brought against us the disaster he prepared, for we did not obey him, and the LORD our God is just in everything he does.
15"O Lord our God, you brought lasting honor to your name by rescuing your people from Egypt in a great display of power. But we have sinned and are full of wickedness. 16In view of all your faithful mercies, Lord, please turn your furious anger away from your city of Jerusalem, your holy mountain. All the neighboring nations mock Jerusalem and your people because of our sins and the sins of our ancestors.
17"O our God, hear your servant's prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary.
18"O my God, listen to me and hear my request. Open your eyes and see our wretchedness. See how your city lies in ruins—for everyone knows that it is yours. We do not ask because we deserve help, but because you are so merciful.
19"O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, O my God, do not delay, for your people and your city bear your name."
Gabriel's Message about the Exile
20I went on praying and confessing my sin and the sins of my people, pleading with the LORD my God for Jerusalem, his holy mountain. 21As I was praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came swiftly to me at the time of the evening sacrifice. 22He explained to me, "Daniel, I have come here to give you insight and understanding. 23The moment you began praying, a command was given. I am here to tell you what it was, for God loves you very much. Now listen, so you can understand the meaning of your vision.
24"A period of seventy sets of seven F36 has been decreed for your people and your holy city to put down rebellion, to bring an end to sin, to atone for guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. F37 25Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven F38 will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One F39 comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, F40 despite the perilous times.
26"After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, F41 the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end. 27He will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, F42 but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. Then as a climax to all his terrible deeds, F43 he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, F44 until the end that has been decreed is poured out on this defiler."
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FOOTNOTES:
F34: Or the Chaldeans.
F35: See Jer 25:11-12; 29:10.
F36: Hebrew 70 sevens.
F37: Or the Most Holy One.
F38: Hebrew Seven sevens plus 62 sevens.
F39: Or an anointed one.
F40: Or and a moat, or and trenches.
F41: Hebrew After 62 sevens.
F42: Hebrew for one seven.
F43: Hebrew on the wing of abominations; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
F44: Hebrew an abomination of desolation.
1It was the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, who became king of the Babylonians. F34 2During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, was studying the writings of the prophets. I learned from the word of the LORD, as recorded by Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years. F35 3So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I wore rough sackcloth and sprinkled myself with ashes.
4I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: "O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and keep your commands. 5But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. 6We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke your messages to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land.
7"Lord, you are in the right; but our faces are covered with shame, just as you see us now. This is true of us all, including the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel, scattered near and far, wherever you have driven us because of our disloyalty to you. 8O LORD, we and our kings, princes, and ancestors are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. 9But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him. 10We have not obeyed the LORD our God, for we have not followed the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11All Israel has disobeyed your law and turned away, refusing to listen to your voice. "So now the solemn curses and judgments written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out against us because of our sin. 12You have done exactly what you warned you would do against us and our rulers. Never in all history has there been a disaster like the one that happened in Jerusalem. 13Every curse written against us in the law of Moses has come true. All the troubles he predicted have taken place. But we have refused to seek mercy from the LORD our God by turning from our sins and recognizing his truth. 14The LORD has brought against us the disaster he prepared, for we did not obey him, and the LORD our God is just in everything he does.
15"O Lord our God, you brought lasting honor to your name by rescuing your people from Egypt in a great display of power. But we have sinned and are full of wickedness. 16In view of all your faithful mercies, Lord, please turn your furious anger away from your city of Jerusalem, your holy mountain. All the neighboring nations mock Jerusalem and your people because of our sins and the sins of our ancestors.
17"O our God, hear your servant's prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary.
18"O my God, listen to me and hear my request. Open your eyes and see our wretchedness. See how your city lies in ruins—for everyone knows that it is yours. We do not ask because we deserve help, but because you are so merciful.
19"O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, O my God, do not delay, for your people and your city bear your name."
Gabriel's Message about the Exile
20I went on praying and confessing my sin and the sins of my people, pleading with the LORD my God for Jerusalem, his holy mountain. 21As I was praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came swiftly to me at the time of the evening sacrifice. 22He explained to me, "Daniel, I have come here to give you insight and understanding. 23The moment you began praying, a command was given. I am here to tell you what it was, for God loves you very much. Now listen, so you can understand the meaning of your vision.
24"A period of seventy sets of seven F36 has been decreed for your people and your holy city to put down rebellion, to bring an end to sin, to atone for guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. F37 25Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven F38 will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One F39 comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, F40 despite the perilous times.
26"After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, F41 the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end. 27He will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, F42 but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. Then as a climax to all his terrible deeds, F43 he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, F44 until the end that has been decreed is poured out on this defiler."
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FOOTNOTES:
F34: Or the Chaldeans.
F35: See Jer 25:11-12; 29:10.
F36: Hebrew 70 sevens.
F37: Or the Most Holy One.
F38: Hebrew Seven sevens plus 62 sevens.
F39: Or an anointed one.
F40: Or and a moat, or and trenches.
F41: Hebrew After 62 sevens.
F42: Hebrew for one seven.
F43: Hebrew on the wing of abominations; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
F44: Hebrew an abomination of desolation.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Daniel 8 Today
Daniel's Vision of a Ram and Goat
1During the third year of King Belshazzar's reign, I, Daniel, saw another vision, following the one that had already appeared to me. 2This time I was at the fortress of Susa, in the province of Elam, standing beside the Ulai River. F29
3As I looked up, I saw in front of me a ram with two long horns standing beside the river. F30 One of the horns was longer than the other, even though it had begun to grow later than the shorter one. 4The ram butted everything out of its way to the west, to the north, and to the south, and no one could stand against it or help its victims. It did as it pleased and became very great.
5While I was watching, suddenly a male goat appeared from the west, crossing the land so swiftly that it didn't even touch the ground. This goat, which had one very large horn between its eyes, 6headed toward the two-horned ram that I had seen standing beside the river. 7The goat charged furiously at the ram and struck it, breaking off both its horns. Now the ram was helpless, and the goat knocked it down and trampled it. There was no one who could rescue the ram from the goat's power.
8The goat became very powerful. But at the height of its power, its large horn was broken off. In the large horn's place grew four prominent horns pointing in the four directions of the earth. 9From one of the prominent horns came a small horn whose power grew very great. It extended toward the south and the east and toward the glorious land of Israel. 10His power reached to the heavens where it attacked the heavenly armies, throwing some of the heavenly beings and stars to the ground and trampling them. 11He even challenged the Commander of heaven's armies by canceling the daily sacrifices offered to him and by destroying his Temple. 12But the army of heaven was restrained from destroying him for this sin. As a result, sacrilege was committed against the Temple ceremonies, and truth was overthrown. The horn succeeded in everything it did. F31
13Then I heard two of the holy ones talking to each other. One of them said, "How long will the events of this vision last? How long will the rebellion that causes desecration stop the daily sacrifices? How long will the Temple and heaven's armies be trampled on?"
14The other replied, "It will take twenty-three hundred evenings and mornings; then the Temple will be restored."
Gabriel Explains the Vision
15As I, Daniel, was trying to understand the meaning of this vision, someone who looked like a man suddenly stood in front of me. 16And I heard a human voice calling out from the Ulai River, "Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of his vision."
17As Gabriel approached the place where I was standing, I became so terrified that I fell to the ground. "Son of man," he said, "you must understand that the events you have seen in your vision relate to the time of the end."
18While he was speaking, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground. But Gabriel roused me with a touch and helped me to my feet. 19Then he said, "I am here to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath. What you have seen pertains to the very end of time. 20The two-horned ram represents the kings of Media and Persia. 21The shaggy male goat represents the king of Greece, F32 and the large horn between its eyes represents the first king of the Greek Empire. 22The four prominent horns that replaced the one large horn show that the Greek Empire will break into four sections with four kings, none of them as great as the first.
23"At the end of their rule, when their sin is at its height, a fierce king, a master of intrigue, will rise to power. 24He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause a shocking amount of destruction and succeed in everything he does. He will destroy powerful leaders and devastate the holy people. 25He will be a master of deception, defeating many by catching them off guard. Without warning he will destroy them. He will even take on the Prince of princes in battle, but he will be broken, though not by human power.
26"This vision about the twenty-three hundred evenings and mornings F33 is true. But none of these things will happen for a long time, so do not tell anyone about them yet."
27Then I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for several days. Afterward I got up and performed my duties for the king, but I was greatly troubled by the vision and could not understand it.
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FOOTNOTES:
F29: Or the Ulai Gate; also in 8:16.
F30: Or the gate; also in 8:6.
F31: The meaning of the Hebrew for these verses is uncertain.
F32: Hebrew of Javan.
F33: Hebrew about the evenings and mornings; compare 8:14.
1During the third year of King Belshazzar's reign, I, Daniel, saw another vision, following the one that had already appeared to me. 2This time I was at the fortress of Susa, in the province of Elam, standing beside the Ulai River. F29
3As I looked up, I saw in front of me a ram with two long horns standing beside the river. F30 One of the horns was longer than the other, even though it had begun to grow later than the shorter one. 4The ram butted everything out of its way to the west, to the north, and to the south, and no one could stand against it or help its victims. It did as it pleased and became very great.
5While I was watching, suddenly a male goat appeared from the west, crossing the land so swiftly that it didn't even touch the ground. This goat, which had one very large horn between its eyes, 6headed toward the two-horned ram that I had seen standing beside the river. 7The goat charged furiously at the ram and struck it, breaking off both its horns. Now the ram was helpless, and the goat knocked it down and trampled it. There was no one who could rescue the ram from the goat's power.
8The goat became very powerful. But at the height of its power, its large horn was broken off. In the large horn's place grew four prominent horns pointing in the four directions of the earth. 9From one of the prominent horns came a small horn whose power grew very great. It extended toward the south and the east and toward the glorious land of Israel. 10His power reached to the heavens where it attacked the heavenly armies, throwing some of the heavenly beings and stars to the ground and trampling them. 11He even challenged the Commander of heaven's armies by canceling the daily sacrifices offered to him and by destroying his Temple. 12But the army of heaven was restrained from destroying him for this sin. As a result, sacrilege was committed against the Temple ceremonies, and truth was overthrown. The horn succeeded in everything it did. F31
13Then I heard two of the holy ones talking to each other. One of them said, "How long will the events of this vision last? How long will the rebellion that causes desecration stop the daily sacrifices? How long will the Temple and heaven's armies be trampled on?"
14The other replied, "It will take twenty-three hundred evenings and mornings; then the Temple will be restored."
Gabriel Explains the Vision
15As I, Daniel, was trying to understand the meaning of this vision, someone who looked like a man suddenly stood in front of me. 16And I heard a human voice calling out from the Ulai River, "Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of his vision."
17As Gabriel approached the place where I was standing, I became so terrified that I fell to the ground. "Son of man," he said, "you must understand that the events you have seen in your vision relate to the time of the end."
18While he was speaking, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground. But Gabriel roused me with a touch and helped me to my feet. 19Then he said, "I am here to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath. What you have seen pertains to the very end of time. 20The two-horned ram represents the kings of Media and Persia. 21The shaggy male goat represents the king of Greece, F32 and the large horn between its eyes represents the first king of the Greek Empire. 22The four prominent horns that replaced the one large horn show that the Greek Empire will break into four sections with four kings, none of them as great as the first.
23"At the end of their rule, when their sin is at its height, a fierce king, a master of intrigue, will rise to power. 24He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause a shocking amount of destruction and succeed in everything he does. He will destroy powerful leaders and devastate the holy people. 25He will be a master of deception, defeating many by catching them off guard. Without warning he will destroy them. He will even take on the Prince of princes in battle, but he will be broken, though not by human power.
26"This vision about the twenty-three hundred evenings and mornings F33 is true. But none of these things will happen for a long time, so do not tell anyone about them yet."
27Then I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for several days. Afterward I got up and performed my duties for the king, but I was greatly troubled by the vision and could not understand it.
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FOOTNOTES:
F29: Or the Ulai Gate; also in 8:16.
F30: Or the gate; also in 8:6.
F31: The meaning of the Hebrew for these verses is uncertain.
F32: Hebrew of Javan.
F33: Hebrew about the evenings and mornings; compare 8:14.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Daniel 7 Today
Daniel's Vision of Four Beasts
1Earlier, during the first year of King Belshazzar's reign in Babylon, Daniel had a dream and saw visions as he lay in his bed. He wrote the dream down, and this is what he saw.
2In my vision that night, I, Daniel, saw a great storm churning the surface of a great sea, with strong winds blowing from every direction. 3Then four huge beasts came up out of the water, each different from the others.
4The first beast was like a lion with eagles' wings. As I watched, its wings were pulled off, and it was left standing with its two hind feet on the ground, like a human being. And a human mind was given to it.
5Then I saw a second beast, and it looked like a bear. It was rearing up on one side, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And I heard a voice saying to it, "Get up! Devour many people!"
6Then the third of these strange beasts appeared, and it looked like a leopard. It had four wings like birds' wings on its back, and it had four heads. Great authority was given to this beast.
7Then in my vision that night, I saw a fourth beast, terrifying, dreadful, and very strong. It devoured and crushed its victims with huge iron teeth and trampled what was left beneath its feet. It was different from any of the other beasts, and it had ten horns. 8As I was looking at the horns, suddenly another small horn appeared among them. Three of the first horns were wrenched out, roots and all, to make room for it. This little horn had eyes like human eyes and a mouth that was boasting arrogantly.
9I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient One F26 sat down to judge. His clothing was as white as snow, his hair like whitest wool. He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire, 10and a river of fire flowed from his presence. Millions of angels ministered to him, and a hundred million stood to attend him. Then the court began its session, and the books were opened.
11I continued to watch because I could hear the little horn's boastful speech. I kept watching until the fourth beast was killed and its body was destroyed by fire. 12As for the other three beasts, their authority was taken from them, but they were allowed to live for a while longer. F27
13As my vision continued that night, I saw someone who looked like a man F28 coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. 14He was given authority, honor, and royal power over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.
The Vision Is Explained
15I, Daniel, was troubled by all I had seen, and my visions terrified me. 16So I approached one of those standing beside the throne and asked him what it all meant. He explained it to me like this: 17"These four huge beasts represent four kingdoms that will arise from the earth. 18But in the end, the holy people of the Most High will be given the kingdom, and they will rule forever and ever."
19Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, the one so different from the others and so terrifying. It devoured and crushed its victims with iron teeth and bronze claws, and it trampled what was left beneath its feet. 20I also asked about the ten horns on the fourth beast's head and the little horn that came up afterward and destroyed three of the other horns. This was the horn that seemed greater than the others and had human eyes and a mouth that was boasting arrogantly. 21As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and was defeating them, 22until the Ancient One came and judged in favor of the holy people of the Most High. Then the time arrived for the holy people to take over the kingdom.
23Then he said to me, "This fourth beast is the fourth world power that will rule the earth. It will be different from all the others. It will devour the whole world, trampling everything in its path. 24Its ten horns are ten kings that will rule that empire. Then another king will arise, different from the other ten, who will subdue three of them. 25He will defy the Most High and wear down the holy people of the Most High. He will try to change their sacred festivals and laws, and they will be placed under his control for a time, times, and half a time.
26"But then the court will pass judgment, and all his power will be taken away and completely destroyed. 27Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. They will rule forever, and all rulers will serve and obey them."
28That was the end of the vision. I, Daniel, was terrified by my thoughts and my face was pale with fear, but I kept these things to myself.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTES:
F26: Aramaic an Ancient of Days; also in 7:13, 22.
F27: Aramaic for a season and a time.
F28: Or like a Son of Man; Aramaic reads like a son of man.
1Earlier, during the first year of King Belshazzar's reign in Babylon, Daniel had a dream and saw visions as he lay in his bed. He wrote the dream down, and this is what he saw.
2In my vision that night, I, Daniel, saw a great storm churning the surface of a great sea, with strong winds blowing from every direction. 3Then four huge beasts came up out of the water, each different from the others.
4The first beast was like a lion with eagles' wings. As I watched, its wings were pulled off, and it was left standing with its two hind feet on the ground, like a human being. And a human mind was given to it.
5Then I saw a second beast, and it looked like a bear. It was rearing up on one side, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And I heard a voice saying to it, "Get up! Devour many people!"
6Then the third of these strange beasts appeared, and it looked like a leopard. It had four wings like birds' wings on its back, and it had four heads. Great authority was given to this beast.
7Then in my vision that night, I saw a fourth beast, terrifying, dreadful, and very strong. It devoured and crushed its victims with huge iron teeth and trampled what was left beneath its feet. It was different from any of the other beasts, and it had ten horns. 8As I was looking at the horns, suddenly another small horn appeared among them. Three of the first horns were wrenched out, roots and all, to make room for it. This little horn had eyes like human eyes and a mouth that was boasting arrogantly.
9I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient One F26 sat down to judge. His clothing was as white as snow, his hair like whitest wool. He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire, 10and a river of fire flowed from his presence. Millions of angels ministered to him, and a hundred million stood to attend him. Then the court began its session, and the books were opened.
11I continued to watch because I could hear the little horn's boastful speech. I kept watching until the fourth beast was killed and its body was destroyed by fire. 12As for the other three beasts, their authority was taken from them, but they were allowed to live for a while longer. F27
13As my vision continued that night, I saw someone who looked like a man F28 coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. 14He was given authority, honor, and royal power over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.
The Vision Is Explained
15I, Daniel, was troubled by all I had seen, and my visions terrified me. 16So I approached one of those standing beside the throne and asked him what it all meant. He explained it to me like this: 17"These four huge beasts represent four kingdoms that will arise from the earth. 18But in the end, the holy people of the Most High will be given the kingdom, and they will rule forever and ever."
19Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, the one so different from the others and so terrifying. It devoured and crushed its victims with iron teeth and bronze claws, and it trampled what was left beneath its feet. 20I also asked about the ten horns on the fourth beast's head and the little horn that came up afterward and destroyed three of the other horns. This was the horn that seemed greater than the others and had human eyes and a mouth that was boasting arrogantly. 21As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and was defeating them, 22until the Ancient One came and judged in favor of the holy people of the Most High. Then the time arrived for the holy people to take over the kingdom.
23Then he said to me, "This fourth beast is the fourth world power that will rule the earth. It will be different from all the others. It will devour the whole world, trampling everything in its path. 24Its ten horns are ten kings that will rule that empire. Then another king will arise, different from the other ten, who will subdue three of them. 25He will defy the Most High and wear down the holy people of the Most High. He will try to change their sacred festivals and laws, and they will be placed under his control for a time, times, and half a time.
26"But then the court will pass judgment, and all his power will be taken away and completely destroyed. 27Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. They will rule forever, and all rulers will serve and obey them."
28That was the end of the vision. I, Daniel, was terrified by my thoughts and my face was pale with fear, but I kept these things to myself.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTES:
F26: Aramaic an Ancient of Days; also in 7:13, 22.
F27: Aramaic for a season and a time.
F28: Or like a Son of Man; Aramaic reads like a son of man.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Daniel 6 Today
Daniel in the Lions' Den
1Darius the Mede decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a prince to rule over each province. 2The king also chose Daniel and two others as administrators to supervise the princes and to watch out for the king's interests. 3Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and princes. Because of his great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire. 4Then the other administrators and princes began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling his affairs, but they couldn't find anything to criticize. He was faithful and honest and always responsible. 5So they concluded, "Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the requirements of his religion."
6So the administrators and princes went to the king and said, "Long live King Darius! 7We administrators, prefects, princes, advisers, and other officials have unanimously agreed that Your Majesty should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days anyone who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to Your Majesty—will be thrown to the lions. 8And let Your Majesty issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, a law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked." 9So King Darius signed the law.
10But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. 11The officials went together to Daniel's house and found him praying and asking for God's help. 12So they went back to the king and reminded him about his law. "Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days anyone who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to Your Majesty—will be thrown to the lions?" "Yes," the king replied, "that decision stands; it is a law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked."
13Then they told the king, "That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is paying no attention to you or your law. He still prays to his God three times a day."
14Hearing this, the king was very angry with himself for signing the law, and he tried to find a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament. 15In the evening the men went together to the king and said, "Your Majesty knows that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no law that the king signs can be changed."
16So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, "May your God, whom you worship continually, rescue you." 17A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel from the lions. 18Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn't sleep at all that night.
19Very early the next morning, the king hurried out to the lions' den. 20When he got there, he called out in anguish, "Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you worship continually, able to rescue you from the lions?"
21Daniel answered, "Long live the king! 22My God sent his angel to shut the lions' mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty."
23The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him because he had trusted in his God. 24Then the king gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused Daniel. He had them thrown into the lions' den, along with their wives and children. The lions leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den.
25Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world:
"Peace and prosperity to you!
26"I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel.
For he is the living God,
and he will endure forever.
His kingdom will never be destroyed,
and his rule will never end.
27 He rescues and saves his people;
he performs miraculous signs and wonders
in the heavens and on earth.
He has rescued Daniel
from the power of the lions."
28So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. F25
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTES:
F25: Or of Darius, that is, the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
1Darius the Mede decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a prince to rule over each province. 2The king also chose Daniel and two others as administrators to supervise the princes and to watch out for the king's interests. 3Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and princes. Because of his great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire. 4Then the other administrators and princes began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling his affairs, but they couldn't find anything to criticize. He was faithful and honest and always responsible. 5So they concluded, "Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the requirements of his religion."
6So the administrators and princes went to the king and said, "Long live King Darius! 7We administrators, prefects, princes, advisers, and other officials have unanimously agreed that Your Majesty should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days anyone who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to Your Majesty—will be thrown to the lions. 8And let Your Majesty issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, a law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked." 9So King Darius signed the law.
10But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. 11The officials went together to Daniel's house and found him praying and asking for God's help. 12So they went back to the king and reminded him about his law. "Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days anyone who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to Your Majesty—will be thrown to the lions?" "Yes," the king replied, "that decision stands; it is a law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked."
13Then they told the king, "That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is paying no attention to you or your law. He still prays to his God three times a day."
14Hearing this, the king was very angry with himself for signing the law, and he tried to find a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament. 15In the evening the men went together to the king and said, "Your Majesty knows that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no law that the king signs can be changed."
16So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, "May your God, whom you worship continually, rescue you." 17A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel from the lions. 18Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn't sleep at all that night.
19Very early the next morning, the king hurried out to the lions' den. 20When he got there, he called out in anguish, "Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you worship continually, able to rescue you from the lions?"
21Daniel answered, "Long live the king! 22My God sent his angel to shut the lions' mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty."
23The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him because he had trusted in his God. 24Then the king gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused Daniel. He had them thrown into the lions' den, along with their wives and children. The lions leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den.
25Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world:
"Peace and prosperity to you!
26"I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel.
For he is the living God,
and he will endure forever.
His kingdom will never be destroyed,
and his rule will never end.
27 He rescues and saves his people;
he performs miraculous signs and wonders
in the heavens and on earth.
He has rescued Daniel
from the power of the lions."
28So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. F25
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTES:
F25: Or of Darius, that is, the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Daniel 5 Today
The Writing on the Wall
1A number of years later, King Belshazzar gave a great feast for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. 2While Belshazzar was drinking, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups that his predecessor, F19 Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem, so that he and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3So they brought these gold cups taken from the Temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4They drank toasts from them to honor their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
5At that very moment they saw the fingers of a human hand writing on the plaster wall of the king's palace, near the lampstand. The king himself saw the hand as it wrote, 6and his face turned pale with fear. Such terror gripped him that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way beneath him.
7The king shouted for the enchanters, astrologers, F20 and fortune-tellers to be brought before him. He said to these wise men of Babylon, "Whoever can read this writing and tell me what it means will be dressed in purple robes of royal honor and will wear a gold chain around his neck. He will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom!" 8But when all the king's wise men came in, none of them could read the writing or tell him what it meant. 9So the king grew even more alarmed, and his face turned ashen white. His nobles, too, were shaken.
10But when the queen mother heard what was happening, she hurried to the banquet hall. She said to Belshazzar, "Long live the king! Don't be so pale and afraid about this. 11There is a man in your kingdom who has within him the spirit of the holy gods. During Nebuchadnezzar's reign, this man was found to have insight, understanding, and wisdom as though he himself were a god. Your predecessor, King Nebuchadnezzar, made him chief over all the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers of Babylon. 12This man Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, has a sharp mind and is filled with divine knowledge and understanding. He can interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means."
Daniel Explains the Writing
13So Daniel was brought in before the king. The king asked him, "Are you Daniel, who was exiled from Judah by my predecessor, King Nebuchadnezzar? 14I have heard that you have the spirit of the gods within you and that you are filled with insight, understanding, and wisdom. 15My wise men and enchanters have tried to read this writing on the wall, but they cannot. 16I am told that you can give interpretations and solve difficult problems. If you can read these words and tell me their meaning, you will be clothed in purple robes of royal honor, and you will wear a gold chain around your neck. You will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom."
17Daniel answered the king, "Keep your gifts or give them to someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means. 18Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, majesty, glory, and honor to your predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar. 19He made him so great that people of all races and nations and languages trembled before him in fear. He killed those he wanted to kill and spared those he wanted to spare. He honored those he wanted to honor and disgraced those he wanted to disgrace. 20But when his heart and mind were hardened with pride, he was brought down from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. 21He was driven from human society. He was given the mind of an animal, and he lived among the wild donkeys. He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he learned that the Most High God rules the kingdoms of the world and appoints anyone he desires to rule over them.
22"You are his successor, F21 O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself. 23For you have defied the Lord of heaven and have had these cups from his Temple brought before you. You and your nobles and your wives and concubines have been drinking wine from them while praising gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor know anything at all. But you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny! 24So God has sent this hand to write a message.
25"This is the message that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. 26This is what these words mean:
Mene means 'numbered'—God has numbered the days of your reign and has brought it to an end.
27 Tekel means 'weighed'—you have been weighed on the balances and have failed the test.
28 Parsin F22 means 'divided'—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians."
29Then at Belshazzar's command, Daniel was dressed in purple robes, a gold chain was hung around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.
30That very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian F23 king, was killed. F24 31And Darius the Mede took over the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTES:
F19: Aramaic father; also in 5:11, 13, 18.
F20: Or Chaldeans; also in 5:11.
F21: Aramaic son.
F22: Aramaic Peres, the singular of Parsin.
F23: Or Chaldean.
F24: The Persians and Medes conquered Babylon in October 539 B.C.
1A number of years later, King Belshazzar gave a great feast for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. 2While Belshazzar was drinking, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups that his predecessor, F19 Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem, so that he and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3So they brought these gold cups taken from the Temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4They drank toasts from them to honor their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
5At that very moment they saw the fingers of a human hand writing on the plaster wall of the king's palace, near the lampstand. The king himself saw the hand as it wrote, 6and his face turned pale with fear. Such terror gripped him that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way beneath him.
7The king shouted for the enchanters, astrologers, F20 and fortune-tellers to be brought before him. He said to these wise men of Babylon, "Whoever can read this writing and tell me what it means will be dressed in purple robes of royal honor and will wear a gold chain around his neck. He will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom!" 8But when all the king's wise men came in, none of them could read the writing or tell him what it meant. 9So the king grew even more alarmed, and his face turned ashen white. His nobles, too, were shaken.
10But when the queen mother heard what was happening, she hurried to the banquet hall. She said to Belshazzar, "Long live the king! Don't be so pale and afraid about this. 11There is a man in your kingdom who has within him the spirit of the holy gods. During Nebuchadnezzar's reign, this man was found to have insight, understanding, and wisdom as though he himself were a god. Your predecessor, King Nebuchadnezzar, made him chief over all the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers of Babylon. 12This man Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, has a sharp mind and is filled with divine knowledge and understanding. He can interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means."
Daniel Explains the Writing
13So Daniel was brought in before the king. The king asked him, "Are you Daniel, who was exiled from Judah by my predecessor, King Nebuchadnezzar? 14I have heard that you have the spirit of the gods within you and that you are filled with insight, understanding, and wisdom. 15My wise men and enchanters have tried to read this writing on the wall, but they cannot. 16I am told that you can give interpretations and solve difficult problems. If you can read these words and tell me their meaning, you will be clothed in purple robes of royal honor, and you will wear a gold chain around your neck. You will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom."
17Daniel answered the king, "Keep your gifts or give them to someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means. 18Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, majesty, glory, and honor to your predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar. 19He made him so great that people of all races and nations and languages trembled before him in fear. He killed those he wanted to kill and spared those he wanted to spare. He honored those he wanted to honor and disgraced those he wanted to disgrace. 20But when his heart and mind were hardened with pride, he was brought down from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. 21He was driven from human society. He was given the mind of an animal, and he lived among the wild donkeys. He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he learned that the Most High God rules the kingdoms of the world and appoints anyone he desires to rule over them.
22"You are his successor, F21 O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself. 23For you have defied the Lord of heaven and have had these cups from his Temple brought before you. You and your nobles and your wives and concubines have been drinking wine from them while praising gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor know anything at all. But you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny! 24So God has sent this hand to write a message.
25"This is the message that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. 26This is what these words mean:
Mene means 'numbered'—God has numbered the days of your reign and has brought it to an end.
27 Tekel means 'weighed'—you have been weighed on the balances and have failed the test.
28 Parsin F22 means 'divided'—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians."
29Then at Belshazzar's command, Daniel was dressed in purple robes, a gold chain was hung around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.
30That very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian F23 king, was killed. F24 31And Darius the Mede took over the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTES:
F19: Aramaic father; also in 5:11, 13, 18.
F20: Or Chaldeans; also in 5:11.
F21: Aramaic son.
F22: Aramaic Peres, the singular of Parsin.
F23: Or Chaldean.
F24: The Persians and Medes conquered Babylon in October 539 B.C.
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